1890 Rare Book - Faust by Goethe llustrated by Frederick J. Boston
Author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Illustrated by Frederick J. Boston.
Title: Faust.
Publisher: New York, Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1890. First thus.
Language: Text in English (translated from the German by John Anster, LL.D.).
Size: 7.5 x 5.5 inches.
Pages: 360 pages.
Binding: Attarctive and near fiine publisher’s original green cloth binding, elaborately gilt-decorated front cover and spine with ornate scrolling floral designs and central cartouche titled “Faust.” Spine lettered in gilt (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. An attractive, well-preserved decorative Victorian binding.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or toning - as shown, endpapers slightly worn but still tight - as shown, a period ownership inscription and small private library label on the front endpaper - as shown).
Illustrations: Profusely illustrated vignette edition after new drawings by Frederick J. Boston, including numerous expressive black-and-white plates depicting Faust, Mephistopheles, and key dramatic scenes. Complete.
Estimate: (USD 200–300).
The book: This richly decorated 1890 American vignette edition of Goethe’s Faust embodies the height of late Victorian book design, pairing ornate gilt cloth binding with evocative narrative illustration. The sinuous floral gilt tooling and central title cartouche create a visually striking object that mirrors the drama and moral tension of Goethe’s masterpiece. Frederick J. Boston’s illustrations lend a theatrical immediacy to the text, emphasizing the psychological intensity of Faust’s pact and the tragic arc of Margaret, while making the volume both a literary and decorative collectible.
The author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) stands as one of the towering figures of German literature and European Romanticism. His Faust, a profound exploration of ambition, temptation, redemption, and the limits of human knowledge, is widely regarded as one of the greatest dramatic poems ever written and remains central to Western literary and philosophical thought.
The illustrator: Frederick J. Boston was an accomplished late nineteenth-century illustrator known for his dramatic and character-driven interpretations of classic literary texts. His work in this vignette edition of Faust translates Goethe’s philosophical drama into vivid visual scenes, blending academic draftsmanship with the emotive sensibility characteristic of Victorian book illustration.