Skip to content
Free Shipping on Orders Over $200 in Canada & USA | Free Shipping to Europe on Orders Over $500 | Competitive International Rates for Asia & Oceania!
Free Shipping on Orders Over $200 in Canada & USA | Free Shipping to Europe on Orders Over $500 | Competitive International Rates for Asia & Oceania!
Home Browse our books Blog About Us Contact Us Reference Archive
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads
1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads

1919 First American Rackham Illustrated Edition – Some British Ballads

Sold out
$325 USD - $325 USD
$325 USD
$325 USD - $325 USD
$325 USD

Author: Anonymous (Traditional Ballads). Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Title: Some British Ballads.
Publisher: New York, Dodd, Mead & Company, [c. 1919]. First American illustrated edition of Some British Ballads by Arthur Rackham.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 10" x 8".
Pages: 8-170 pages.
Binding: Very good original publisher’s dark blue gilt-decorated cloth binding with gilt titles and decorative vignette to upper cover and spine. Upper cover with a striking Rackham-designed gilt panel of two figures beneath a tree. Back cover with gilt device of the lion and leopard (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. 
Content: Very good, near fine content (bright, tight and clean - as shown, former owner’s bookplate and early catalogue slip neatly mounted to front pastedown - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with 16 tipped-in full-page color plates by Arthur Rackham, each mounted on heavy gray paper and captioned below. Numerous black-and-white illustrations and decorative silhouettes throughout the text.

Estimate: (USD 400–600).

The book: This is the first American illustrated edition of Some British Ballads by Arthur Rackham, published by Dodd, Mead & Company in New York. A stunning collection of traditional British ballads, the work is elevated by Rackham’s atmospheric illustrations, which capture the mystery, drama, and lyricism of these timeless folk tales. The large quarto format and heavy paper lend the book a sumptuous presence, and Rackham’s haunting tipped-in color plates—including Clerk Colvill, The Twa Corbies, and Young Bekie—bring each story vividly to life.

A milestone in Rackham’s career, this volume is not only an important work in the illustrator’s canon but also a key collectible in the history of illustrated literature.

The illustrator: Arthur Rackham (1867–1939) was one of the greatest illustrators of the Golden Age of Book Illustration. Renowned for his ethereal yet unsettling style, Rackham brought to life the worlds of fairy tales, legends, and classic literature with a unique combination of delicate line work and moody watercolor washes. His illustrations for Some British Ballads are widely regarded as among his finest, marrying the romance and darkness of the ballad tradition with his distinctive artistic vision. The tipped-in plates, alongside his evocative silhouettes, cement the volume as a masterwork of early 20th-century illustration.