Sporty, Dirty and Rackham: A Short Catalog of Finely Illustrated Books

Paul Bourget: Le Testament Nouvelle en prose
Edition de La Guirlande, Paris, 1919. First Edition. Binding: Hardcover (Half Leather). Illustrator: Garcia Benito. Book Condition: Very Good. Size: Quarto (4to). Text is clean and unmarked. Bound in 1/4 red leather over marbled boards, recently respined in burgundy leather with a new spine label, over original wraps. 56 of 154, this on Arches paper. Mild foxing throughout, heavier in a few spots, but still an attractive copy of this scarce work. 19 pages, each with a color illustration, 1 full page.

$675

Paul-Henri Bourguignon: En Écoutant Toone Joueer le Bossu

R. Dupriez, Brussels, 1944. First Edition. Binding: Softcover. Illustrator: Edgard Tytgat. Book Condition: Very Good Condition. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Size: Octavo (8vo). Text is clean and unmarked. Slight foxing front/rear pages, but body of book mostly clean and unfoxed. 251 of 450 copies with hand colored illustrations by Tytgat. In the original glassine jacket, very lightly worn at edges. A lovely copy.

$315

Brothers Grimm: Marchen von Bruder Grimm

George W. Dietrich, Munich, 1913. First Edition. Bin
ding: Hardcover (Original Cloth). Illustrator: Edmund Dulac . Book Condition: Good Condition. Size: Quarto (4to). Text is clean and unmarked. Undated, ca. 1910. Red cloth worn at the edges with some fraying at the head of the spine, rubbed in spots. One small marginal tear to a plate and a few light finger marks but generally bright and unmarked internally. With 30 plates originally published in Quiller-Couch's edition of Sleeping Beauty published in 1910.

$225

Oscar Wilde: The Happy Prince and Other Tales

Duckworth & Co., London, 1920. Second Edition. Binding: Hardcover (Full Leather). Illustrator: Charles Robinson. Book Condition: Very Good Condition. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. Size: Octavo (8vo). Text is clean and unmarked. Previous owner's inscription in ink, neat. The second Robinson edition rebound in full red leather gilt ruled, 5 raised bands, added decorative endpapers. Wear at the edges, a bit heavier at the corners and spine ends. Modest foxing throughout to the text, the 12 plates are fine and unmarked, though one is mis-bound facing page 110 instead of 106.

The Happy Prince and Other Tales, first published in 1888 while Wilde was editor of The Woman's World, was his first unqualified success. He left the magazine the next year and published Dorian Gray in 1891.

$315

Thomas Ingoldsby: The Jackdaw of Rheims

John C. Winston, Philadelphia, 1914. First Edition. Binding: Hardcover (Original Cloth). Illustrator: Charles Folkard. Book Condition: Near Fine Condition. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. Size: Folio. Text is clean and unmarked. Full purple cloth with light fading at edges - otherwise fine and bright. With the 12 Folkard illustration tipped in - a lovely copy of the first trade edition.

$180

Francesca Esther Alexander: La Sorellaccia: A Legend as Related by the Mountain People in the Country About Boscolungo (Legenda Della Montagna Pistoiese)

None, Boston, 1877. First Edition. Binding: Hardcover. Book Condition: Near Fine. Size: Elephant folio. 63pp. Text is clean and unmarked. A photogravure reproduction of an 1877 manuscript produced by Alexander in Italy; undated sometime shortly after 1877. A remarkable production, each of the 63 text plates with the English translation and the Italian facing it with Alexander's simple but entrancing illustrations on each plate - 12 additional full page illustrations on facing pages, dedication page, title page, and endpapers Book measures 18 1/2" x 16", plates are 11 1/2" x 9 1/2". White cloth with illustrated paper over them, a bit of light soiling and rubbing to covers, worn spots at spine ends, fine internally. In a somewhat battered, but intact, cloth slipcase.

A few years after this manuscript was produced, Alexander was to meet John Ruskin who published a number of her books beginning in 1883. Sorellaccia was never published, but given to Mrs. Quincy Shaw in gratitude - Mrs. Shaw was so fond of the book that, after exhibiting it in the Art Museum, she had photogravure copies made for each of her five children and one for the Fine Arts Department of the Boston Public Library. It didn't appear in print until Constance Grosvenor Alexander's biography of Francesca (Harvard University Press, 1927).

$1800

Sir Thomas Malory: Le Morte D'Arthur: The Birth Life and Acts of King Arthur of His Noble Knights of the Round Table and Their Marvellous Enquests and Adventures The Achieving of the San Greal and in the End Le Morte DArthur with the Dolourous Death and Departing Out of This World of Them All

J.M. Dent, London, 1893. First Edition. Binding: Hardcover (Half Leather). Illustrator: Aubrey Beardsley. Book Condition: Very Good. Size: Quarto (4to). Text is clean and unmarked. One of the "ordinary" copies rebound early on in half calf over marbled boards in two volumes. Modest general wear and rubbing to bindings but intact, tight and square. Pages lightly, and consistently, age toned. 20 full and double page illustrations and filled with Beardsley's charming initial letters, borders, and ornaments. A bit of offsetting to frontis and a few others but most tissue guards are intact (but loose). Beardsley's first major commission and one of the great illustrated books of the turn of the century.

$1440

Sir Thomas Malory: Le Morte D'Arthur: The Birth Life and Acts of King Arthur of His Noble Knights of the Round Table and Their Marvellous Enquests and Adventures, The Achieving of the San Greal and in the End Le Morte DArthur with the Dolourous Death and Departing Out of This World of Them All.

J.M. Dent. E.P. Dutton, London and New York, 1909. Second Edition. Binding: Hardcover (Half Leather). Illustrator: Aubrey Beardsley. Book Condition: Very Good. Size: Quarto (4to). Text is clean and unmarked. Previous owner's signature in ink. The Second edition, limited to 1500 copies in the original green cloth, gilt. Wear at the corners, hinge just starting at the top, light rubbing to spine and a few spots on the boards. Generally attractive externally, gilt still bright. Joints weak, browning to endpapers, light age toning to pages and some light chipping to the page edges, occasional offsetting from plates onto the facing page, small brown discoloration to the title page and frontis near the gutter, paper repair to page 520. Despite this collection of minor faults, an attractive copy with the 20 plates by Beardsley and the profusion of vignette and decorative additions to the text.

$675

Arthur Quiller-Couch: In Powder & Crinoline

Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1913. First Edition. Binding: Hardcover (Original Cloth). Illustrator: Kay Nielsen. Book Condition: Good Condition. Size: Octavo (8vo). Text is clean and unmarked. undated but 1913. The full cloth issue, front hinge split, oderate general wear to edges, some loss to cloth at the spine ends. Previous owner's name to front pastedown. A bit shaken, generally, and loosening from the binding in a few spots. Frontis and engraved title are loose, mild discoloration to endpapers, otherwise bright and clean internally with all 24 color plates and tissue guards — light age toning to page edges, one plate back (not the plate itself) with some browning from an item left in the book.

Remarkably for his first book, Nielsen here is at the peak of his powers. One of his finest works, at home alongside East of the Sun and West of the Moon.

$765

Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol

William Heinemann, London, 1915. First Edition. Signed by Illustrator. Binding: Hardcover (Vellum). Illustrator: Arthur Rackham. Book Condition: Very Good. Size: Octavo (8vo). 147pp. Text is clean and unmarked. Vellum slightly bowed, lacks ties. Front hinge just starting, significant brown spotting on rear cover, light foxing to endpapers as usual, occasional slight age toning to page edges. Limited to 525 signed by Arthur Rackham, this number 382. 12 tipped in plates by Rackham.

$2250

Nathaniel Hawthorne: Tanglewood Tales
The Penn Publishing Company, Philadelphia, 1921. . Binding: Hardcover (Original Cloth). Illustrator: Virginia Frances Sterrett. Book Condition: Very Good. Size: Quarto (4to). Text is clean and unmarked. Original blue cloth with inset illustration, light wear at edges and corners, gilt spine lettering a bit dulled, one corner bumped. 22 illustrations, 10 tipped in plates in color. Lovely illustrations reminiscent of Kaye Nielsen but with their own charms. Her second book, she was but 21 when she illustrated this Hawthorne classic.

$450

François de Salignac de la Motte Fenelon: Les Aventures de Télémaque Fils D'Ulysse 2 vols

Guillaume Zerletti, Venice, 1768. . First Illustrated Edition, or first by this illustrator and in this format. Binding: Hardcover (Vellum). Illustrator: Volpato. Book Condition: Very Good Condition. Size: Octavo (8vo). Text is clean and unmarked. 2 volumes in full acid vellum - rubbed in a few spots, a few small wormholes and cracks on spine, but generally tight, square, and attractive. Lovely vignette illustrations before each chapter, a frontis, and a fold-out map of Télémaque's travels. Charming Venetian edition of Fenelon's classic.

$315

De la Motte Fouqué: Undine

William Heinemann, London, 1909. First Edition. Binding: Hardcover (Full Leather). Illustrator: Arthur Rackham. Book Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket. Size: Octavo (8vo). Text is clean and unmarked. Rebound in full red leather, gilt ruled, 5 raised bands, added decorative endpapers. Wear at the edges, a bit heavier at the corners and spine ends. Modest foxing throughout to the text, the plates are fine and unmarked. A few small tears to the tissue guards, some browning to the plate mounts. 15 tipped in illustrations - some of Rackham's most delicate and lovely work. First Rackham trade edition.

$360

Barham, R. Harris (Thomas Ingoldsby): The Ingoldsby Legends or Mirth and Marvels. First, Second, and Third Series

Richard Bentley , London, 1840. First Edition. Binding: Full Calf. Illustrator: Cruikshank, George Etc.. Book Condition: Near Fine. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. 3 volumes, all first editions, in full brown calf by Riviere. 1840, 1842, 1847, respectively. Light rubbing and cracking at hinges, and light rubbing to spine lettering on the third volume. Previous owners embossed armorial plate to added endpaper of each volume. Otherwise a lovely set with 5 raised bands, inner dentelles, gold filigree to spines, etc. Page 236 blank in volume 1, lacking slip. Slight dampstain to edge of text block in volume 3. Illustrations by Leech, Cruikshank, others.

$675

Anatole France: La Révolte Des Anges

Calmann-Levy, Paris, 1946. . Binding: Hardcover. Illustrator: Pierre Watrin. Book Condition: Very Good. Size: Quarto (4to). 316pp. Text is clean and unmarked. A lovely illustrated edition of France's La Revolte Des Anges - number 112 of 400 Vélin pur fil des papeteries Johannot. Slipcase is heavily worn and cracked at corners, a bit of rubbing and sunning to boards, internal wraps modestly age tones, internally fine. A sumptuous, wide margined edition.

$270