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1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle
1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle

1888 First Edition - Jack The Giant Killer color illustrated by Richard Doyle

$500 USD - $500 USD
$500 USD
$500 USD - $500 USD
$500 USD

Author: Richard Doyle.
Title: Jack the Giant Killer.
Publisher: London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, Her Majesty’s Printers, Great New Street, E.C., 1888. First Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 10 x 8.5 inches.
Pages: [48] pages.
Binding: Attractive and near fine original publisher’s pale blue cloth binding, with black-printed title and illustration to the upper cover showing a giant peering from a tower. Plain back cover (hinges fine) under a protective removable mylar cover. A bright, tight, and very well-preserved copy!
Content: Very good, near fine content (bright, tight and clean, the text block is clean, crisp, and bright throughout, with only light foxing restricted to the endpapers - as shown). The volume opens with a publisher’s introduction explaining the origin of Doyle’s boyhood manuscript version of Jack the Giant Killer (created in 1842 when he was just a youth of eighteen). This 1888 first printed edition faithfully reproduces that early work, preserving Doyle’s original handwritten text, layout, and humor. The interior pages remain beautifully preserved.
With the armorial bookplate of James O’Byrne on the front pastedown, bearing the family crest and Latin motto “Certavi et Vici” (“I have striven and conquered”). A charming mark of distinguished Irish provenance that adds character and authenticity to this copy.
Illustrations: Fully illustrated throughout with rich chromolithographic plates and hand-colored facsimile borders by Richard Doyle. Each page is framed by whimsical designs featuring elves, fairies, and decorative motifs, giving the story a vivid and playful fairy-tale atmosphere.

Estimate: (USD 600 - USD 900)

The book: A charming late-Victorian color first edition of Richard Doyle’s youthful masterpiece Jack the Giant Killer, one of the earliest known works by this beloved illustrator of the Punch era and The Fairy Book. Originally drawn and hand-colored in 1842, this 1888 Eyre & Spottiswoode first edition meticulously reproduces Doyle’s original watercolors, script, and margins, celebrating his imagination and humor. The result is a delightful union of medieval fantasy and Victorian whimsy—an enchanting collector’s piece representing the early flowering of one of Britain’s most endearing illustrators.

The author: Richard “Dickie” Doyle (1824–1883) was an influential British illustrator, best known for his fairy-tale imagery and as one of the early contributors to Punch magazine. Nephew of the novelist Arthur Conan Doyle, he brought to his art a combination of wit, delicacy, and a love for fantastical creatures. His most famous works include In Fairyland (1870) and The Fairy Book (1870). Jack the Giant Killer, created when he was still a teenager, already displays the humor and fanciful invention that would define his later career.