1933 Rare First US Edition - Goblin Market illustrated by Arthur Rackham

Author: Christina Rossetti. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Title: Goblin Market.
Publisher: Philadelphia, J.B. Lippincott Co, no date (circa 1933). First US Edition illustrated by Rackham.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 9 x 6 inches.
Pages: [42] pages.
Binding: Attractive and very good, neat fine original red cloth with a color pictorial paper-covered front board, showing stylized goblin creatures and fruit design in red, yellow, and black; plain red cloth rear board. Spine unlettered as issued (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good, near fine, content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing - as shown).
Illustrations: Nicely illustrated by Arthur Rackham, including 4 color plates and numerous black-and-white small drawings. Color illustrations include the famous frontispiece and scenes of the goblin fruit-sellers, the sisters Lizzie and Laura, and their encounters with temptation and salvation.

Estimate: (USD 200–300).

The book: A beautiful First US Edition illustrated by Rackham of Goblin Market, Christina Rossetti’s haunting and lyrical poem first published in 1862. This edition was issued by Lippincott based on the celebrated 1933 George G. Harrap edition illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Rackham’s interpretation adds a magical yet unsettling quality to Rossetti’s feminist and allegorical verse. Notably, this copy preserves all four mounted color plates and features rich decorative endpapers. A collectible and visually stunning collaboration between two major figures in Victorian and Edwardian literature and art.

The author: Christina Rossetti (1830–1894) was one of the most important English poets of the 19th century. Known for her devotional verse and children’s poetry, Goblin Market remains her most enduring work—a mysterious narrative poem with themes of sisterhood, temptation, and redemption. She was also the sister of Pre-Raphaelite painter and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

The illustrator: Arthur Rackham (1867–1939) was one of the leading figures of the Golden Age of British book illustration. His work is known for its fluid lines, ethereal fantasy, and moody atmosphere. In Goblin Market, Rackham’s illustrations emphasize both the sensual and the eerie nature of the text, drawing viewers into the goblin-haunted woods of Rossetti’s imagination.