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Le Morte Darthur. The Birth, Life and Acts of King Arthur, of His Noble Knights of the Round Table ... London: J.M. Dent, 1893-1894.
Details
MALORY, Sir Thomas (c.1415-1471) — Aubrey BEARDSLEY (1872-1898, illustrator)
Le Morte Darthur. The Birth, Life and Acts of King Arthur, of His Noble Knights of the Round Table ... London: J.M. Dent, 1893-1894.
First edition, 'superior issue,' copy number 4 of 300 copies printed on Dutch hand-made paper. Published when Beardsley was only 21 years old, 'the Morte d'Arthur brought him instant recognition and the artistic leadership of a decade often known as the "Beardsley period" ... the Malory drawings are his strongest illustrations' (The Artist and the Book 16).
3 volumes, quarto (259 x 200mm). Publisher's device designed by Beardsley printed in red, half-titles, 2 etched frontispieces, 18 plates including frontispiece in vol. 2 of which 5 double-page, 3 headpieces, 22 borders, numerous initials printed in red and black inks, numerous vignettes and infill ornaments, colophon in vol. 3 (usual offsetting from plates, borders, and occasionally vignettes). Original vellum with bevelled edges, upper covers stamped in gilt with foliate design, top edges gilt, others uncut, leather ties (light soiling to spines of vols 1 and 2, gilt to upper covers of vols 2 and 3 lightly rubbed); contained in a green cloth slipcase.
Sold with: Reproductions of Eleven Designs Omitted from the First Edition of Le Morte Darthur. London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1927. Quarto (259 x 205mm). Half-title, headpiece and publisher's device on title-page, 11 plates, 2 samples of designs for the original wrappers (one printed on glossy paper). Uniformly bound in pigskin-backed vellum decorated in gilt to match Le Morte Darthur. Provenance: letter loosely inserted from Charles Ricketts to Mr Walker discussing Beardsley.
Le Morte Darthur. The Birth, Life and Acts of King Arthur, of His Noble Knights of the Round Table ... London: J.M. Dent, 1893-1894.
First edition, 'superior issue,' copy number 4 of 300 copies printed on Dutch hand-made paper. Published when Beardsley was only 21 years old, 'the Morte d'Arthur brought him instant recognition and the artistic leadership of a decade often known as the "Beardsley period" ... the Malory drawings are his strongest illustrations' (The Artist and the Book 16).
3 volumes, quarto (259 x 200mm). Publisher's device designed by Beardsley printed in red, half-titles, 2 etched frontispieces, 18 plates including frontispiece in vol. 2 of which 5 double-page, 3 headpieces, 22 borders, numerous initials printed in red and black inks, numerous vignettes and infill ornaments, colophon in vol. 3 (usual offsetting from plates, borders, and occasionally vignettes). Original vellum with bevelled edges, upper covers stamped in gilt with foliate design, top edges gilt, others uncut, leather ties (light soiling to spines of vols 1 and 2, gilt to upper covers of vols 2 and 3 lightly rubbed); contained in a green cloth slipcase.
Sold with: Reproductions of Eleven Designs Omitted from the First Edition of Le Morte Darthur. London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1927. Quarto (259 x 205mm). Half-title, headpiece and publisher's device on title-page, 11 plates, 2 samples of designs for the original wrappers (one printed on glossy paper). Uniformly bound in pigskin-backed vellum decorated in gilt to match Le Morte Darthur. Provenance: letter loosely inserted from Charles Ricketts to Mr Walker discussing Beardsley.
