The Birth, Life and Acts of King Arthur, of the Noble Knights of the Round Table, 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.
Le Morte Darthur The Birth, Life and Acts of King Arthur, of the Noble Knights of the Round Table, 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.
Dent, 1893.
First edition illustrated by Beardsley. Two volumes. 4to. One of 1,500 sets of the "ordinary issue". Publisher's cream cloth, spines lettered in gilt, elaborately decorated in gilt floral designs by Beardsley to upper cover and spine. Top edges gilt, all others untrimmed. Two mounted photogravure frontispieces and eighteen full page wood engravings (including five double-page), numerous text illustrations, and approximately 350 designs for chapter headings and borders, all by Aubrey Beardsley. A very good set, cloth a little dusty and spotted, gilt bright. Some browning and spotting to endpapers, but otherwise quite fresh internally.
One of a total of 1,800 copies, there are also 300 sets printed on Van Gelder paper.
Always an avid reader Beardsley frequented London's antiquarian book shops, where he forged a friendship with bookshop owner, Frederick Evans. Evans admired Aubrey's work and introduced him to a fellow customer, publisher J.M. Dent. Dent was planning a beautifully illustrated version of Malory's Morte D'Arthur, along the lines of some of Morris's Kelmscott Press books, but using a less expensive printing process. Loath to pay the elevated fee William Morris would charge for this commission, Dent was persuaded to employ Aubrey Beardsley. To help secure this commission Beardsley drew The Achieving of the Sangreal. The images drawn for this volume remain the artist's most striking work and have not been equalled by any of his many disciples.
Stock ID: 44334
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