1936 Rare First Rakcham Edition - PEER GYNT, the Norwegian Fairy Tale by Henrik Ibsen.
Author: Henrik Ibsen. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Title: PEER GYNT, A Dramatic Poem by Henrik Ibsen, Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Publisher: London, George G Harrap & Co. Ltd., 1936. First edition.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 10 " X 8 ".
Pages: 255 pages.
Binding: Attractive and near fine half binding, finely bound in brown leather, titles in gilt within a red label on spine (hinges fine) under a protective removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good, near fine content (bright, tight, and clean - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with the beautiful 12 full-page color plates with their tissue guard by Arthur Rackham.
The book: Rare and Attractive First edition illustrated by Rackham of Peer Gynt -- a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1867. Written in Norwegian,it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays. Ibsen believed Per Gynt, the Norwegian fairy tale on which the play is loosely based, to be rooted in fact, and several of the characters are modeled after Ibsen's own family, notably his parent Knud Ibsen and Marichen Altenburg. He was also generally inspired by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen's collection of Norwegian fairy tales, published in 1845 (Huldre-Eventyr og Folkesagn). Peer Gynt chronicles the journey of its title character from the Norwegian mountains to the North African desert. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, "its origins are romantic, but the play also anticipates the fragmentations of emerging modernism" and the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones."
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 not until he began drawing for children's literature that he received critical acclaim.
The author: Henrik Johan Ibsen (20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playwrights of his time. His major works include Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, Emperor and Galilean, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, When We Dead Awaken, Rosmersholm, and The Master Builder. Ibsen is the most frequently performed dramatist in the world after Shakespeare.