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LE MORTE D'ARTHUR [Third Edition]

by Malory, Sir Thomas // Beardsley, Aubrey

First Thus

Price: $4,300.00
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Book description: New York: Dutton, 1927 538pp: The first of Beardsley's great illustrated books, published when he was just 21, in its complete editioin (the third edition - earlier iterations had fewer of Beardsley's work). As Gordon Ray reports, John Dent contracted with Beardsley to produce 20 full page illustrations, about 100 smaller designs and nearly 350 initial letters for a deluxe edition of Malory. Beardsley's model for this work was that of his mentor Burne-Jones, but he quickly left the revisited-gothic style of Burne-Jones & Morris for the eroticized, freer and more flowing lines which became Beardsley's hallmark. The publication history of this book is muddied, and a preface in this edition hardly clarifies the sequence. In gist, a first edition of Malory/Beardsley was put out by John Dent in 1893, first in monthly parts then in a collected edition of 2 volumes. A second edition by Dent appared in 1909 with 10 Beardsley illustrations that had not appeared in its first iteration. No one seems to know how this happened or where the missing 10 had been to slip so unremarked-upon into the Second Edition. Nonetheless, yet more Beardsley works for Arthur surfaced: a cover drawing, an eleventh chapter heading and a Merlin drawing. This finally complete edition was published by Dent's successor, Turnbull & Spears in 1927, and in the US by E.P. Dutton with British leaves. The text is that first published by the first English printer William Caxton in 1485 (with spelling adjusted for modern readers); there is a lengthy introduction to the text by Prof. John Rhys as well as an article on Beardsley by Aymer Vallance, the note on the varying editions by R.A. Walker mentioned above, Caxton's own preface and his introduction to the 1485 edition, Caxton's table of contents and finally a glossary. Bound in black cloth with an elaborate Beardsley design in gilt on the front board, gilt title and design on the spine, top edges gilt, and issued in a LIMITED EDITION OF 1600 COPIES. The dustjacket is whole and complete except for a few minor chips at the edges/corners: a reproduction of the cover design in black over buff-beige paper covers. An extraordinary book in superb condition.. First Thus. Cloth. Very Fine/Very Good.

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