1931 Aesop Fables Illustrated by Arthur Rackham Esoteric Fairy Tales Chesterton

1931 Aesop Fables Illustrated by Arthur Rackham Esoteric Fairy Tales Chesterton

“A doubtful friend is worse than a certain enemy. Let a man be one thing or the other, and we then know how to meet him.”

― Aesop, Aesop’s Fables

Aesop’s fables have been printed for centuries and include some of the most famous fables and tales of all time. This first edition features 13 color tipped-in plates of Arthur Rackham art, including the frontispiece. It also has several in-text illustrations in black and white. Many of these illustrations depict animals personifying human qualities in a satirical or humorous manner.

Rackham art is highly desirable and has been used in numerous literary works. However, the illustrations in this printing are particularly notable. According to Hudson,

“Arthur Rackham’s primary intention was to amuse…he was often his own model; there are several self-caricatures to be detected in Aesop’s Fables. He is the man who catches the flea, the pompous gentleman who scolds the drowning boy, the credulous slave-owner who scrubs the black boy.” (Hudson, Arthur Rackham His Life and Work, p. 94)

This 1931 edition was translated and edited by V.S. Vernon Jones who was known only for this work.

Item number: #17375

Price: $599

AESOP

Aesop’s fables. A new translation by V.S. Vernon Jones; with an introduction by G.K. Chesterton ; and illustrations by Arthur Rackham

London: William Heinemann; New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1931.

Details:

• Collation: Complete with all pages
  • [2], xxix, [1], 223, [1]
  • 65 illustrations throughout including:
    • 13 color tipped-in plates by Arthur Rackham, including frontis
    • 52 black and white in-text illustrations
  • Provenance: Bookplate – Margaret I. Knox
  • Language: English
  • Binding: Hardcover; tight & secure
    • Cloth
  • Size: ~8.25in X 6in (20.5cm x 15cm)

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17375