1877 Rare Book - Outline Illustrations to Schiller’s Fight with the Dragon

Author: Friedrich Schiller. Translated by: J. P. Collier, Esq. (author of The Poetical Decamerone) Illustrator: Henry Moses, from the designs of Moritz Retzsch.
Title: Outline Illustrations to Schiller’s Fight with the Dragon and Fridolin
Publisher: Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1877.
Language: Text in English.
Size: Oblong 10 x 12.5 inches.
Pages: Unpaginated (comprising 16 outline engravings for Fight with the Dragon and 8 outline engravings for Fridolin, each paired with facing text).
Binding: Attractive and good well-preserved original publisher’s white cloth binding with elaborate gilt-stamped borders and titles to front cover and spine, blind-stamped rear board (front outer hinge shows a hairline crack but remains tight and secure - as shown, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All edges gilt.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, light scattered foxing throughout -  as shown, front endpaper lightly creased - as shown).
Illustrations: (Complete)

• The Fight with the Dragon — Sixteen finely executed outline engravings by Henry Moses after Moritz Retzsch, illustrating Schiller’s romantic poem of chivalry, courage, and moral triumph. 

• Fridolin, or the Road to the Iron-Foundry — Eight outline engravings in the same style, depicting Schiller’s ballad of loyalty and virtue.

The book: A beautifully produced 19th-century American edition of Schiller’s poetic works, presented in the celebrated “Retzsch outline” style that captivated readers and artists throughout the 19th century. The engravings, delicately executed in line without shading, allow the viewer’s imagination to complete the scenes, a hallmark of Retzsch’s genius.

The artist: Moritz Retzsch (1779–1857) was a German painter, draughtsman, and engraver renowned for his outline illustrations to literary works, including Goethe’s Faust and Schiller’s plays and poems. His style profoundly influenced book illustration in Europe and America during the Romantic era.