1905 Scarce Book - Goblin Market by C. Rossetti Illustrated by Dion C. Calthrop
A haunting Victorian tale brought to life through delicate color and golden cloth artistry.
Author: Christina Rossetti. Illustrated by Dion Clayton Calthrop.
Title: Goblin Market.
Publisher: London and Edinburgh, T.C. & E.C. Jack, no date (circa 1905).
Language: Text in English.
Size: 6 x 4.5 inches.
Pages: 31 pages.
Binding: Very good and attractive publisher’s original pale grey cloth binding, richly stamped in gilt with an elegant floral and vine design framing a mounted color plate on the upper cover; spine lettered in gilt; upper edge gilt; light overall wear and gentle age toning to cloth as shown; hinges sound and binding solid under a protective, removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content, clean and well preserved; light scattered foxing and minor age toning as shown; an early gift inscription dated Christmas 1917 to the front endpaper - as shown.
Illustrations: Complete with 4 full-page colour illustrations by Dion Clayton Calthrop, including frontispiece; all present and in very good condition; vivid and richly detailed plates capturing the poetic atmosphere of the work.
Estimate: (Scarce with limited availability on the market for this charming illustrated edition).
The book: A beautiful and increasingly scarce early 20th-century illustrated edition of Christina Rossetti’s celebrated narrative poem Goblin Market, first published in 1862. This charming edition stands out for its refined Art Nouveau-inspired binding and its delicate color illustrations by Dion Clayton Calthrop, which bring a dreamlike quality to Rossetti’s haunting tale of temptation, sisterhood, and redemption. The small, intimate format combined with its decorative cloth and mounted plate makes this edition particularly appealing to collectors of illustrated poetry and Victorian gift books.
The author: Christina Rossetti (1830–1894) was one of the most important poets of the Victorian era, known for her lyrical intensity, symbolic depth, and spiritual themes. Goblin Market remains her most famous and enigmatic work, interpreted variously as a moral allegory, a feminist narrative, and a richly sensuous poem. She was closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelite circle, notably through her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
The illustrator: Dion Clayton Calthrop (1878–1937) was a British illustrator, writer, and stage designer celebrated for his romantic and expressive style. His illustrations for Goblin Market are particularly admired for their emotional sensitivity and imaginative interpretation, capturing both the innocence and underlying tension of Rossetti’s poetic world.