1932 First De Luxe Edition - Andersen Fairy Tales illustrated by Arthur Rackham
The first Arthur Rackham-illustrated edition of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, published by Harrap in 1932, in the publisher’s de luxe green morocco binding.
Author: Hans Christian Andersen. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Title: Fairy Tales by Hans Andersen.
Publisher: London, George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., 1932.
Edition: First edition illustrated by Arthur Rackham; publisher’s de luxe binding.
Language: English.
Pages: 287.
Size: 10 × 7.5 inches.
Binding: Publisher’s full green morocco, gilt-decorated on the front board and spine, with gilt-ruled borders and a Rackham vignette on the upper board; top edge gilt. Light signs of age and handling, as shown. Protected by a removable Mylar cover.
Content: Near fine; pages clean and firmly bound. Decorative endpapers well preserved.
Illustrations: Twelve tipped-in colour plates by Arthur Rackham, each with a captioned tissue guard, together with numerous black-and-white illustrations and decorations. Complete as issued.
Estimate: USD 1,000–1,200.
The book: Published in 1932, this edition presents a selection of Andersen’s fairy tales, including Little Ida’s Flowers, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, The Shepherdess and the Chimney-Sweep, and The Swineherd.
Rackham’s twelve mounted colour plates and accompanying black-and-white drawings illustrate the stories. This copy retains the publisher’s de luxe green morocco binding, distinguished by gilt decoration and a pictorial vignette on the upper board.
The author: Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was a Danish author whose literary fairy tales include The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, and The Emperor’s New Clothes. His stories have been published in numerous translations and illustrated editions.
The illustrator: Arthur Rackham (1867–1939) was an English illustrator known for his pen-and-ink drawings and watercolours. He illustrated works of fairy tale, folklore and literature during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.