1900 Limited Edition on Japanese Paper- Pre-Raphaelite Ballads by William Morris
Author: William Morris. Illustrated and decorated by H. M. O’Kane.
Title: Pre-Raphaelite Ballads.
Publisher: New York: A. Wessels Co., 1900. Printed on Imperial Japanese paper, this being copy No. 184 of 250 numbered copies.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8.5" × 6".
Pages: [Unpaginated].
Binding: Good original publisher’s full cream vellum over boards, gilt title to upper cover and spine (hinges worn but tight - as shown, some overall toning and light staining to covers, as typical for vellum bindings of this period, spine slightly darkened with gentle wear to ends - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, - as shown, includes the original bookplate of Frank Williams, with the motto “Welcome to the temple—and when you leave—leave my book” - as shown). Internally clean and fresh, with only mild age toning to the edges of a few leaves.
Illustrations: Illustrated throughout with richly detailed black-and-white borders, initials, and decorative panels by H. M. O’Kane, inspired by the Arts and Crafts aesthetic. Text printed in red and black in a medieval revival typeface. (Complete).
Estimate: (USD 500–750).
The book: A beautiful limited edition of Pre-Raphaelite Ballads by William Morris, printed on Imperial Japanese paper and issued in 1900 by A. Wessels Co. This fine press production pays tribute to the Pre-Raphaelite and Arts and Crafts movements that Morris himself helped define.
The volume features striking black-and-white decorative borders and initials by H. M. O’Kane, executed in the spirit of Morris’s Kelmscott Press designs. The printing in red and black, coupled with the generous use of white space, creates a harmonious, handcrafted appearance reminiscent of medieval illuminated manuscripts.
This edition is part of a strictly limited run of 250 numbered copies on Imperial Japanese paper, the most desirable format after the first ten copies on vellum. A testament to the lasting influence of Morris’s typographical ideals and the transatlantic reach of the Arts and Crafts movement at the turn of the century.
The author: William Morris (1834–1896) was an English poet, designer, and visionary whose work reshaped the decorative arts, printing, and literature of the Victorian era. A founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood’s aesthetic ideals and the Kelmscott Press, he sought to reunite art and craftsmanship in a world increasingly dominated by industrial production. His poetic works—The Defence of Guenevere, The Earthly Paradise, and Pre-Raphaelite Ballads—embody the medieval romanticism and moral beauty that defined his artistic philosophy.
The illustrator: H. M. O’Kane (active c. 1890–1910) was an American artist and typographic designer closely associated with fine press revivalism in the early 20th century. His elaborate black-and-white borders and illuminated initials in this edition pay clear homage to Morris’s Kelmscott style, bridging British and American interpretations of the Arts and Crafts movement.