1910 1stED - Green Willow and Japanese Fairy Tales Illustrated by Warwick Goble

The 1910 first edition of Grace James’s Japanese fairy tales, illustrated by Warwick Goble with forty mounted colour plates, in the publisher’s gilt-decorated blue cloth.

Author: Grace James. Illustrated by Warwick Goble.
Title: Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales.
Publisher: London, Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1910.
Edition: First edition.
Language: English.
Pages: viii, 280.
Size: 10 × 7.5 inches.
Binding: Publisher’s original blue cloth, gilt-decorated on the front board and spine; edges tinted blue. Hinges sound. Light rubbing, scuffing and wear at the extremities, as shown. Protected by a removable Mylar cover.
Content: Pages generally bright and firmly bound, with scattered foxing and a small stain at the outer edge. Minor corner creasing to a few plates, as shown.
Illustrations: Forty tipped-in colour plates by Warwick Goble, each with its original printed tissue guard. Complete as described.

Estimate: USD 700–900.

The book: First published in 1910, Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales collects Grace James’s retellings of Japanese folklore, including stories of spirits, samurai and supernatural encounters.

Warwick Goble supplied forty mounted colour illustrations for this edition. Their composition and palette reflect the influence of Japanese visual art on British book illustration in the early twentieth century. This copy retains its original gilt-decorated cloth binding and printed tissue guards.

The author: Grace James (1882–1965) was an English writer known for her collections and adaptations of Japanese folk tales. Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales is among her best-known works.

The illustrator: Warwick Goble (1862–1943) was a British illustrator whose work appeared in books and periodicals. He is particularly associated with illustrated editions of fairy tales and stories drawn from Asian traditions.