{"product_id":"1900-rare-limited-first-edition-the-prince-who-did-not-exist-by-arthur-j-gaskin","title":"1900 Rare Limited First Edition- The Prince Who Did Not Exist by Arthur J Gaskin","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA scarce and beautifully produced first edition of Edward Perry Warren's unusual fairy tale, illustrated with three striking Arts and Crafts woodcuts by Arthur J. Gaskin. One of only 350 numbered copies, printed at the celebrated Merrymount Press in 1900.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor\u003c\/strong\u003e: Edward Perry Warren.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitle\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cem\u003eThe Prince Who Did Not Exist.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e: Arthur J. Gaskin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e: New York and London: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1900. Printed by D. B. Updike at the Merrymount Press, Boston.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEdition\u003c\/strong\u003e: First Edition. Limited to 350 numbered copies, of which 300 were offered for sale. This is copy No. 292, numbered by hand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage\u003c\/strong\u003e: English.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages\u003c\/strong\u003e: Unpaginated, approximately 26 printed pages, with three full-page illustrations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize\u003c\/strong\u003e: 7 x 5 inches.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding\u003c\/strong\u003e: Very good original quarter cream cloth over grey paper-covered boards, with black lettering to the spine and an attractive Arts and Crafts open-book and rose vignette on the front cover. Some surface soiling and age-related marks to the boards, with light rubbing and discolouration along the cloth joints and extremities. The binding remains firm and attractive. Protected in a removable mylar cover. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContent\u003c\/strong\u003e: Near fine. The interior is exceptionally clean, crisp, and well preserved, with only occasional faint age-related marks. Printed in decorative blackletter type on fine paper, using a Japanese-fold construction: each sheet is folded at the outer edge, with text and illustrations printed on the outward-facing surfaces only. The inward-facing surfaces are intentionally blank, and the folded fore-edges remain unopened, exactly as issued. This is an original feature of the book's production, not a defect or an indication of missing pages.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrations\u003c\/strong\u003e: Complete with three full-page black-and-white woodcut illustrations by Arthur J. Gaskin, each enclosed within an elaborate decorative border.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEstimate\u003c\/strong\u003e: USD $350–400.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe book\u003c\/strong\u003e: Published in 1900 in a strictly limited edition of 350 numbered copies, \u003cem\u003eThe Prince Who Did Not Exist\u003c\/em\u003e is a charming and unusual literary fairy tale by Edward Perry Warren. Its opening conceit is wonderfully playful: a prince does not exist because he belongs to a fairy tale, yet he falls in love with a young woman who exists in the real world. What follows is a whimsical meditation on the relationship between imagination and reality, written with a gentle sense of humour and an affection for the conventions of traditional fairy stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book is also a particularly appealing example of turn-of-the-century fine printing. Produced by Daniel Berkeley Updike at his renowned Merrymount Press in Boston, it combines richly decorative blackletter typography, carefully proportioned pages, and a distinctive Japanese-fold structure, with printing confined to the exterior surfaces of the folded sheets. The three full-page illustrations by Arthur J. Gaskin evoke the medieval romanticism of the Arts and Crafts movement, recalling the decorative ideals associated with William Morris and the Kelmscott Press. The original binding, with its stylized open book and climbing rose, completes a beautifully unified design. A scarce and desirable volume for collectors of fine press books, illustrated fairy tales, and Arts and Crafts printing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe author\u003c\/strong\u003e: Edward Perry Warren (1860–1928) was an American-born writer, classical antiquities collector, and patron of the arts. Educated at Harvard and New College, Oxford, he spent much of his adult life in England, where he established Lewes House in Sussex as a centre of artistic, intellectual, and classical interests. He is particularly remembered for his important collection of Greek and Roman antiquities, as well as for his literary writings, some of which appeared under the pseudonym Arthur Lyon Raile.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Prince Who Did Not Exist\u003c\/em\u003e, published under Warren's own name, reveals a different and more playful side of his literary imagination. Its refined production and limited circulation reflect the private-press sensibility of the period, while its combination of romance, fantasy, and self-aware storytelling gives this little-known fairy tale a distinctive character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe illustrator\u003c\/strong\u003e: Arthur Joseph Gaskin (1862–1928) was an English illustrator, designer, and craftsman closely associated with the Birmingham School of Art and the Arts and Crafts movement. Influenced by William Morris and the traditions of medieval art, he developed a highly recognizable style characterized by strong outlines, patterned backgrounds, and romantic medieval subjects. He also worked as a jewellery designer alongside his wife, Georgie Gaskin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis three woodcut illustrations for \u003cem\u003eThe Prince Who Did Not Exist\u003c\/em\u003e are especially well suited to Warren's fairy-tale narrative. Their elegant figures, architectural settings, and carefully arranged ornamental borders contribute greatly to the book's visual charm and make this limited edition an appealing example of Gaskin's work as a book illustrator.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67698144411897,"sku":null,"price":325.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0953\/3348\/files\/20261113prince_00.jpg?v=1794599266","url":"https:\/\/mflibra.com\/products\/1900-rare-limited-first-edition-the-prince-who-did-not-exist-by-arthur-j-gaskin","provider":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}