1920 First Edition - Irish fairy Tales by James Stephens illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
(Description)
Author: James Stephens illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Title: Irish fairy Tales.
Publisher: London, Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1920. First edition.
Language: Text in English
Size: 8.5" X 7".
Pages: x-318 pages.
Binding: Good original green publisher full-cloth binding (hinges fine, overall worn and scuffed - as shown, small stains on the rear cover - as shown, gilt faded on spine - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (bright, clean, and tight, endpapers nicely replaced by a previous owner - as shown).
Illustrations: Illustrated with 16 wonderful color plates by Arthur Rackham (complete). All lettered tissue overlays are present.
Estimate : (USD 350 - USD 500)
The book: Rare First Edition illustrated by Rackham of Irish Fairy Tales -- a retelling of ten Irish folktales by the Irish author James Stephens. The English illustrator Arthur Rackham provided interior artwork, including numerous black and white illustrations and sixteen color plates. The stories are set in a wooded, Medieval Ireland filled with larger-than-life hunters, warriors, kings, and fairies. Many stories concern the Fianna and their captain, Fionn mac Uail, from the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology. The book was first published by Macmillan and Company in 1920. It is one of Stephens' better-known works.
The illustrator: Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) was a prolific British artist and illustrator, best known for his deluxe editions of popular children's books. Artistically inclined since childhood, Rackham started illustrating for newspapers, but it was only when he began drawing for children's literature that he received critical acclaim.