{"product_id":"1911-first-edition-by-keith-henderson-the-romaunt-of-the-rose-by-chaucer","title":"1911 First Edition by Keith Henderson - The Romaunt of the Rose by Chaucer","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn elegant and complete 1911 illustrated edition of the medieval dream allegory, with twenty beautifully atmospheric color plates by Keith Henderson and Norman Wilkinson of Four Oaks.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Geoffrey Chaucer, translator, after Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. Illustrated by Keith Henderson and Norman Wilkinson of Four Oaks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Romaunt of the Rose. Rendered out of the French into English by Geoffrey Chaucer and Illustrated by Keith Henderson \u0026amp; Norman Wilkinson of Four Oaks.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e London: Chatto \u0026amp; Windus, 1911.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEdition:\u003c\/strong\u003e First trade edition of this illustrated version, following the limited Florence Press edition of 1908.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Text in Middle English.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 107 pages.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10 x 8 inches.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very good original publisher’s light grey cloth binding, simply and elegantly lettered in gilt to the upper board and spine, with blind-ruled borders to both boards. Spine somewhat darkened with age, with light rubbing and minor wear to the head and foot and a few small marks to the cloth, as shown. Hinges sound. Top edge gilt. Protected in a removable mylar cover.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContent:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very good content, firmly bound and generally bright and clean. Scattered foxing and toning, more noticeable to the front endpapers and occasionally to plate margins and adjoining leaves, as shown. Contemporary ink presentation inscription to the front free endpaper, dated Christmas in Roman numerals, as shown. The text is printed attractively in double columns, with the title page in red and black.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrations:\u003c\/strong\u003e Complete with twenty full-page color plates, comprising the frontispiece and nineteen further plates, each retaining its captioned tissue guard. Ten illustrations are by Keith Henderson and ten by Norman Wilkinson of Four Oaks. The plates remain richly colored and possess a distinctly Pre-Raphaelite and dreamlike character particularly well suited to the medieval allegory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEstimate: \u003c\/strong\u003eUSD $300–350.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe book:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Romaunt of the Rose\u003c\/em\u003e is the Middle English adaptation traditionally associated with Geoffrey Chaucer of the enormously influential French \u003cem\u003eRoman de la Rose\u003c\/em\u003e, begun by Guillaume de Lorris in the thirteenth century and later continued by Jean de Meun. Framed as a dream vision, the poem transforms the pursuit of a rose into an elaborate allegory of courtly love, desire, virtue, temptation, and social convention. The surviving English \u003cem\u003eRomaunt\u003c\/em\u003e consists of three distinct translated fragments, and modern scholarship generally accepts Chaucer’s authorship only for the first, although the complete work was historically transmitted under his name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis handsome 1911 Chatto \u0026amp; Windus edition reproduces the remarkable suite of illustrations created by Henderson and Wilkinson for the Florence Press edition of 1908. The earlier printing was issued in a limited edition, while this 1911 publication made the celebrated designs available in a trade edition. The twenty color plates give the volume a particularly refined Arts and Crafts and Pre-Raphaelite character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe author:\u003c\/strong\u003e Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340s–1400) was an English poet, courtier, diplomat, and civil servant and is regarded as one of the foundational figures of English literature. Best known for \u003cem\u003eThe Canterbury Tales\u003c\/em\u003e, he played a decisive role in establishing Middle English as a major literary language at a time when French and Latin remained dominant in learned and courtly writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond poetry, Chaucer wrote on philosophy and astronomy and served the English Crown in a variety of administrative and diplomatic posts. His burial in Westminster Abbey became the nucleus of what is now known as Poets’ Corner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe illustrators:\u003c\/strong\u003e Keith Henderson (1883–1982) was a Scottish painter and illustrator trained at the Slade School and in Paris. His long career encompassed portraiture, book illustration, poster design, and service as a war artist. \u003cem\u003eThe Romaunt of the Rose\u003c\/em\u003e was among his earliest major book-illustration projects, and his richly detailed compositions reveal the influence of medieval and Pre-Raphaelite art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNorman Wilkinson of Four Oaks (1882–1934) was an English illustrator and stage designer who used the designation “of Four Oaks” to distinguish himself from the better-known marine painter Norman Wilkinson. He worked extensively in theatrical scenery and costume and collaborated with Henderson on this edition, contributing ten of its twenty color plates. Their complementary work gives the volume its distinctive, ethereal visual character.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48963347546361,"sku":null,"price":250.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0953\/3348\/files\/20260830romaunt_01.jpg?v=1788096610","url":"https:\/\/mflibra.com\/products\/1911-first-edition-by-keith-henderson-the-romaunt-of-the-rose-by-chaucer","provider":"MFLIBRA - Antique Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}