{"product_id":"1904-first-edition-sir-galahad-a-christmas-mystery-by-william-morris","title":"1904 First Edition - Sir Galahad, A Christmas Mystery by William Morris","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"126\" data-end=\"1425\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"126\" data-end=\"137\"\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e William Morris. Designed by Thomas Wood Stevens.\u003cbr data-start=\"186\" data-end=\"189\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"189\" data-end=\"199\"\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem data-start=\"200\" data-end=\"235\"\u003eSir Galahad: A Christmas Mystery.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"235\" data-end=\"238\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"238\" data-end=\"252\"\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Chicago: The Blue Sky Press, 1904. Unnumbered First Edition. \u003cbr data-start=\"287\" data-end=\"290\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"290\" data-end=\"303\"\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Text in English.\u003cbr data-start=\"320\" data-end=\"323\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"323\" data-end=\"332\"\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 8.5 x 5 inches.\u003cbr data-start=\"367\" data-end=\"370\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"370\" data-end=\"380\"\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e Unpaginated (approximately 28 leaves printed on double handmade paper).\u003cbr data-start=\"445\" data-end=\"448\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"448\" data-end=\"460\"\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e Attractive and very good publisher’s original grey paper-covered boards with dark decorative border and title \u003cem data-start=\"546\" data-end=\"559\"\u003eSir Galahad\u003c\/em\u003e gilt-stamped to upper cover. Cloth spine. The rear board plain (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.\u003cbr data-start=\"727\" data-end=\"730\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"730\" data-end=\"742\"\u003eContent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Near fine content (bright, tight and clean - as shown). A very fresh and clean unnumbered copy of this beautiful private press edition. The interior is pristine, printed on thick handmade paper with wide margins and crisp impressions of the decorative initials. Printed green decorated endpapers repeating the Morris-style vine and holly motif.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1033\" data-end=\"1051\"\u003eIllustrations: \u003c\/strong\u003eText printed in black and red, with elaborate decorative initials inspired by William Morris’s Kelmscott Press aesthetic. This \u003cem data-start=\"1191\" data-end=\"1215\"\u003eunnumbered first issue\u003c\/em\u003e shows slight variation in the color of the red “enluminure” ink and was issued without the frontispiece by Walter H. Hinton, present only in the 525 numbered copies (500 on paper and 25 on Japan vellum).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1427\" data-end=\"1459\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1427\" data-end=\"1440\"\u003eEstimate:\u003c\/strong\u003e (USD 250 –350).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1466\" data-end=\"1484\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe book: \u003c\/strong\u003eAn elegant \u003cem data-start=\"1496\" data-end=\"1513\"\u003eArts and Crafts\u003c\/em\u003e interpretation of \u003cem data-start=\"1532\" data-end=\"1566\"\u003eSir Galahad: A Christmas Mystery\u003c\/em\u003e by William Morris, issued by \u003cem data-start=\"1600\" data-end=\"1620\"\u003eThe Blue Sky Press\u003c\/em\u003e in Chicago in 1904. This early and unnumbered variant, differing slightly in the tone of its red illuminations and lacking the frontispiece, precedes or parallels the formal numbered issue. The book’s design and typography embody the ideals of the \u003cem data-start=\"1869\" data-end=\"1886\"\u003eKelmscott Press\u003c\/em\u003e, combining medieval-inspired ornament with modern craftsmanship. \u003cbr\u003eThe volume was designed and lettered by Thomas Wood Stevens, one of the foremost figures of the American private press movement, and printed under his supervision. Stevens’s layout pays homage to Morris’s principles of book beauty—clarity, proportion, and harmony—while adapting them to the transatlantic press tradition emerging in the early 20th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2319\" data-end=\"2502\"\u003ePrinted at \u003cem data-start=\"2330\" data-end=\"2350\"\u003eThe Blue Sky Press\u003c\/em\u003e, founded in 1899 in Chicago, this edition is one of the press’s most admired achievements—delicate, spiritual, and distinctly Pre-Raphaelite in mood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2509\" data-end=\"2529\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"2513\" data-end=\"2527\"\u003eThe author: \u003c\/strong\u003eWilliam Morris (1834–1896) was a poet, designer, and craftsman whose influence shaped both the \u003cem data-start=\"2629\" data-end=\"2655\"\u003eArts and Crafts Movement\u003c\/em\u003e and the revival of fine printing. A founder of the \u003cem data-start=\"2707\" data-end=\"2724\"\u003eKelmscott Press\u003c\/em\u003e (1891), Morris combined medieval romanticism with socialist ideals, seeking to restore beauty and integrity to everyday objects. \u003cem data-start=\"2854\" data-end=\"2888\"\u003eSir Galahad: A Christmas Mystery\u003c\/em\u003e—originally written in 1858—is a lyrical meditation on purity, faith, and the moral quest embodied by the Arthurian knight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3020\" data-end=\"3052\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe designer and press: \u003c\/strong\u003eThomas Wood Stevens (1880–1942) was an American artist, educator, and designer who brought the Morrisian ideal of unity between art and craft to the United States. His work at \u003cem data-start=\"3233\" data-end=\"3253\"\u003eThe Blue Sky Press\u003c\/em\u003e and later teaching at the \u003cem data-start=\"3280\" data-end=\"3320\"\u003eSchool of the Art Institute of Chicago\u003c\/em\u003e contributed to the spread of fine press aesthetics in North America.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3393\" data-end=\"3624\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"3393\" data-end=\"3413\"\u003eThe Blue Sky Press\u003c\/em\u003e, active between 1899 and 1907, published limited editions of poetry and literary works distinguished by handcrafted type and ornament, marking an important bridge between English and American private presses.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3631\" data-end=\"3657\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3635\" data-end=\"3655\"\u003eMFLIBRA Antique Books Team’s note\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3658\" data-end=\"4044\"\u003eThis \u003cstrong data-start=\"3663\" data-end=\"3699\"\u003eunnumbered first edition variant\u003c\/strong\u003e of \u003cem data-start=\"3703\" data-end=\"3716\"\u003eSir Galahad\u003c\/em\u003e is particularly desirable for collectors of the \u003cem data-start=\"3765\" data-end=\"3782\"\u003eArts and Crafts\u003c\/em\u003e movement, representing a rare transitional moment when American presses sought to emulate and reinterpret Morris’s vision. Its restrained beauty, typographic clarity, and understated gilding exemplify the \u003cem data-start=\"3988\" data-end=\"4004\"\u003eBlue Sky Press\u003c\/em\u003e ethos—idealism translated into print.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46967557259513,"sku":null,"price":180.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0953\/3348\/files\/20251025Galahad-000.jpg?v=1761407707","url":"https:\/\/mflibra.com\/products\/1904-first-edition-sir-galahad-a-christmas-mystery-by-william-morris","provider":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}