Le Morte d'Arthur
- New York: E.P. Dutton and Company, 1927
New York: E.P. Dutton and Company, 1927. Third edition, limited. Very Good -. 55; 538pp. Quarto [30cm]. Primarily bound in original black cloth, with elaborate gilt stamped design on the front board. Gilt topstain. Professionally and tastefully rebacked in matte, black goatskin with two gilt stamped labels bearing title, author and publisher. Other subtle restoration work includes reinforcement of the hinges and replacement of the tissue paper protecting frontispiece. There is sporadic foxing, and the "List of Illustrations" page is detached, but present. Complete, with 22 full page or double-page illustrations. Hundreds of small, intricate in-text illustrations and initials.
The first edition of this volume marked Aubrey Beardsley's first commision as an illustrator. The publisher intended a straightforward contribution to the Gothic revival movement (inspired by William Morris' Kelmscott Press) but Beardsley's style, fresh and distinctive, instead helped define the emerging Art Nouveau movement. He was considered a controversial figure in Art Nouveau, satirizing Victorian morality by embracing the dark and grotesque.
This third edition was limited to 1,600 copies. It includes 10 illustrations omitted from the first along with two illustrations previously unprinted in "Le Morte d'Arthur.
The first edition of this volume marked Aubrey Beardsley's first commision as an illustrator. The publisher intended a straightforward contribution to the Gothic revival movement (inspired by William Morris' Kelmscott Press) but Beardsley's style, fresh and distinctive, instead helped define the emerging Art Nouveau movement. He was considered a controversial figure in Art Nouveau, satirizing Victorian morality by embracing the dark and grotesque.
This third edition was limited to 1,600 copies. It includes 10 illustrations omitted from the first along with two illustrations previously unprinted in "Le Morte d'Arthur.