Irish Fairy Tales
London: MacMillan & Company, 1920. Arthur Rackham (1867 – 1939). First Rackham Edition. Large 4to, 11 x 9 inches, (278 x 225 mm). x, 318 pp. printed on Holbein watermarked paper, a few pages unopened. Frontispiece + 15 color illustrations mounted on tan art paper and set within a border, captioned tissue guards; 21 in-text black and white illustrations also by Rackham. Original vellum-backed boards, spine titled in gilt and gilt vignette to upper cover. Top edge gilt, rest untrimmed.
Interior bright with just one set of stains at p. 93-95, otherwise clean; binding square, small split at tail of spine & some soiling, paper boards are a bit bumped and stained, front hinge has small paper losses, but overall an attractive copy of this handsome limited edition.
One of only 520 copies signed by Arthur Rackham on the limitation page.
[Hamilton, p. 128 ff, Latimore & Haskell 52].
A beautiful volume containing of retold stories, from the Fiannaíocht, or Fenian Cycle, which focus on the exploits of the mythical hero Finn or Fionn and his warrior band the Fianna. The tales are brought to life with Stephens' lyrical prose and vivid imagination, capturing the essence of Ireland's mythic past.
This edition published by MacMillan is richly illustrated by Arthur Rackham who "broke new ground in the illustration of Irish literature." ... The Dublin Independent stated "Some of Mr Rackham's pictures are pure poems — they set you dreaming". [Hamilton, James. Arthur Rackham, A Biography. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1990, p. 128]
James Hamilton notes that "in writing the stories, Stephens had attempted to create an Irish equivalent of The Arabian Nights, his own poetic retelling of the stories which existed in the oral tradition and in Gaelic texts, but which had not appeared accessibly in print." In the opinion of his biographer, "Rackham rose to the occasion."
This volume contains the following stories: The Story of Tuan Mac Cairill, The Boyhood of Fionn, The Birth of Bran, Oisin's Mother, The Wooing of Becfola, The Little Brawl at Allen, The Carl of the Drab Coat, The Enchanted Cave of Cesh Corran, Becuma of the White Skin, and Mongan's Frenzy.
Arthur Rackham RWS (1867 – 1939) is recognized as one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration. His work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, which were combined with the use of watercolor, a technique he developed due to his background as a journalistic illustrator. Rackham's work has been described as a fusion of a northern European 'Nordic' style strongly influenced by the Japanese woodblock tradition of the early 19th century. However, his style is distinctly British and follows a long tradition of Victorian fairy painting. The evolution in Rackham's work towards strong illustrative line and abstracted representation fuses these elements with British interpretations of the organic and sinuous forms of Art Nouveau and wider Arts & Crafts influences.
Condition: Very good.
Item number: 605
Price: $3,300.00
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