1889 Rare Book - Ranald Bannerman’s Boyhood by George MacDonald, Illustrated
Author: George MacDonald. Illustrated by Arthur Hughes.
Title: Ranald Bannerman’s Boyhood.
Publisher: London, Blackie & Son, 49 & 50 Old Bailey, E.C.; Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dublin, [circa 1889]. New Edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5 x 5 inches.
Pages: vi, 298 pages, followed by publisher’s catalogue.
Binding: Very good original publisher’s blue pictorial cloth binding, decorated in black and gilt to the front cover and spine, with an attractive vignette to the front board and another illustration to the spine. Light wear to corners and edges, with a little rubbing and minor marking to the cloth, as shown. Hinges fine, binding sound and attractive. Protected in a removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good condition. Light toning and occasional minor foxing or marks, mostly to preliminary and outer pages. Prize label from James Allen’s Girls’ School, Dulwich, dated 1889, mounted to the front pastedown. Some old newspaper clipping offsetting to the first publisher’s catalogue page, as shown. A clean and well-preserved copy overall.
Illustrations: Complete with thirty-six black and white illustrations by Arthur Hughes, including the frontispiece, Ranald Attacked by His Schoolmates, and numerous full-page illustrations throughout.
Estimate: (USD 200 – 300)
The book: Ranald Bannerman’s Boyhood is one of George MacDonald’s Scottish childhood novels, here offered in an attractive late-Victorian Blackie edition with thirty-six illustrations by Arthur Hughes. The story follows Ranald through the trials, dreams, fears, friendships, and moral awakenings of boyhood, combining domestic realism, religious feeling, and touches of imaginative wonder characteristic of MacDonald’s work.
This edition is especially appealing for its pictorial blue cloth binding and its generous suite of illustrations. The prize label dated 1889 gives the copy a pleasing period association, connecting it directly with Victorian school culture and the tradition of books awarded for achievement.
The author: George MacDonald (1824–1905) was a Scottish novelist, poet, minister, and pioneering writer of fantasy literature. Deeply admired by later authors such as C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and G. K. Chesterton, MacDonald wrote works that combined spiritual insight, moral imagination, and fairy-tale symbolism. His best-known books include At the Back of the North Wind, The Princess and the Goblin, Phantastes, and Lilith.
The illustrator: Arthur Hughes (1832–1915) was an English painter and illustrator associated with the Pre-Raphaelite circle. Known for his delicate, poetic style and his sensitive depictions of childhood and emotion, Hughes was a particularly fitting illustrator for MacDonald’s work. His illustrations for Ranald Bannerman’s Boyhood add atmosphere, tenderness, and narrative charm to this Victorian edition.