A Midsummer Night’s Dream – William Shakespeare – 1908 | First Edition Illustrated by Arthur Rackham

This 1908 edition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare and illustrated by Arthur Rackham remains one of the most significant illustrated editions of the playwright’s work. This first edition brings together Shakespeare’s timeless comedy and Arthur Rackham’s ethereal interpretations. Rackham, renowned for his ability to capture the mystical and otherworldly, contributed forty tipped-in color plates that are frequently cited among his finest illustrations, with his depictions of the enchanted forest, its fairies, and the entanglements of Athenian lovers complementing Shakespeare’s comical tale of romance, trickery, and magical interference.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Author: William Shakespeare
• Illustrator: Arthur Rackham
• Publisher: London: William Heinemann; New York: Doubleday, Page & Co.
• Edition: First Edition, 1908
• Binding: Tan cloth, gilt titling
• Format: Quarto (4to), single volume
• Size: ~ 10.25 in x 7.75 in (26 cm x 20 cm)
• Collation: [6], 134, [2]
• Illustrations: 40 tipped-in color plates with captioned tissue guards
• Contents Include:
  • A Midsummer Night’s Dream
  • Full suite of Rackham plates
• Provenance: Handwritten signature, Mary Roe
• Reference(s): Latimore & Haskell 32

Condition:

Very Good. The binding remains secure with intact hinges. The tan cloth retains its gilt titling, with very slight edgewear, mild handling soiling to the front board and spine, and a large stain to the rear board. The text block is secure, with clean pages overall and light foxing mostly confined to the endpapers and preliminary leaves. The forty tipped-in plates are present and retain strong color, with tissue guards intact.

Why Collect This?

• First edition of a highly desirable Rackham-illustrated Shakespeare
• Contains 40 tipped-in color plates celebrated among Rackham’s best work

Item Number: #31112