ARTHUR RACKHAM\'S-A MIDSUMMER NIGHT\'S DREAM/RARE 1st Ed./1908/WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
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ARTHUR RACKHAM\'S-A MIDSUMMER NIGHT\'S DREAM/RARE 1st Ed./1908/WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE:
$345.00
LONDON: William Heinemann, NEW YORK: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1908 [published date: 1908]. Rare First edition. 4to. 10.25\" x 7.5\" inches Pp. (3), 134 pages.
With 40 full page color illustrated lithographs by Arthur Rackham, original publisher\'s full beige cloth binding with gilt lettering and a bright gilt vignette on the front board. Top edge gilt.Printed in England by Ballantyne & Company Ltd., as stated on the last page.
Illustrations produced by the Hentschel color type process.Illustrations in both color and line drawings in black & white. Shakespeare’s brilliant and delightful comedy was a wonderful exercise and ambitious undertaking for Arthur Rackham. This book ranks with PETER PAN as one of the finest expressions of his \"fantasy\" style of illustration. This particular title in the Rackham oeuvre is among the scarcest and is in constant demand. William de Morgan wrote to Rackham that he considered his Midsummer Night’s Dream “the most splendid illustrated work of the century so far.” At its publication, the book was widely acclaimed and hugely successful as Rackham continued to be extremely popular with the general public. “Rackham cast his spell over the play; his drawings superseded the work of all his predecessors from Gilbert to Abbey, and (for fifty years) have enriched the imagination; his conception of Puck and Bottom, Titania and Oberon, Helena and Hermia, his gnarled trees and droves of fairies, have represented the visual reality of the Dream for thousands of readers. Here he excelled especially in landscape, and in reconciling dream and reality, giving himself to the luxury of rich detail with a rare generosity.” -Derek Hudson What could be more irresistible than to read Shakespeare’s most enchanting play accompanied by Arthur Rackham’s misty, fairy-laden dream-like images? Opening this book is to transport oneself to the surreal world that Shakespeare wrought to make one query, “Are you sure That we are awake? It seems to me That yet we sleep, we dream...\".Condition
Boards firmly attached
Age toning of paper
Binding sound
Some shelf wear
Scattered light Foxing
2 previous owners names inside front cover including nameplate of Dorothy Cornell Taylor.
No writing in text
Age toning of paper
Edge wear to boards and cover has some Foxing as pictured
Overall goodShip daily
Boxed carefully Rackham’s fanciful imagination gave his illustrations instant recognition, and his dedication to illustration kept him in the public eye for thirty years - (Hodnett, 233). Rackham is most known for his work for children\'s fairy tales. \"Germany was Rackham’s favorite holiday destination, and the country which, apart from England, had the single most important influence on his art” (Hamilton, 42). At least one child, however, saw and responded to Rackham\'s art: the young C. S. Lewis, who would later recall, “His pictures, which seemed to me then to be the very music made visible, plunged me a few fathoms deeper into my delight. I have seldom coveted anything as I coveted that book\" (Hamilton, 101). Rackham\'s work is often described as a fusion of a northern European \'Nordic\' style strongly influenced by the Japanese woodblock tradition of the early 19th century. Complete as issued. One of Rackham\'s scarcer titles. With many of the artist’s best loved and most easily recognized paintings, masterfully crafted. Arthur Rackham is considered one of the great artists from the Golden Age of illustration. He was in a special league with other hugely talented illustrators such as Edmund Dulac, Kay Nielsen and W. Heath Robinson. Rackham\'s work continues to inspire and influence legions of artists. His first edition books are extremely collectible. Rackham is most known for his work for children\'s fairy tales. His first edition books are extremely collectible. Arthur Rackham\'s fanciful imagination gave his illustrations instant recognition, and his dedication to illustration kept him in the public eye for thirty years
ARTHUR RACKHAM\'S-A MIDSUMMER NIGHT\'S DREAM/RARE 1st Ed./1908/WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE:
$345.00