THE HIGH KINGS: ARTHUR'S CELTIC ANCESTORS.

UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/FINE.Pencilled (possibly removable) date and owner (?) initials to top corner of front free endpaper and price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,colour pictorial artwork by George Sharp,illustrated dw/dj,with black,grey and red lettering to front panel,black+red lettering to spine; with negligible shelf-wear and some minimal creasing - majority of which is to the top edges of same - no nicks or tears present.Top edges with very light,faint dust-soiling spotting - but still bright and clean,fore-edges bright and clean too with no spotting/foxing or thumbing; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp, clean,generally sharp-cornered - apart from bottom two corners which are minimally bumped with reciprocal creasing,publisher's original plain dark brown cloth boards with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to spine/backstrip,a brown+silver (?) striped headband and immaculate plain brown endpapers.UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn,8- 237pp [paginated] includes a foreword,about the Celts,a note on names,the verbal tradition,9 sections,profuse b/w+red maps interspersed throughout,profuse full-colour,part,single and double-page colour plate and illustrations by George Sharp throughout,along with Celtic decorative patterns and reproductions of Celtic bronze+gold artifacts; plus [unpaginated] half-title page, coloured illustration - repeated to last page,a circular vignetted page,brown+white Celtic design vignetted title page,and contents list/table.
The Celts - that artistically rich,magnificent people whose legendary history culminated in the heroic reign of King Arthur - have long been a source of wonder for many.Their heritage is a treasure trove: stories of epic heroism,of women who fought alongside their men,of giants and towering challenge,of ultimate sacrifice joyously given,of magnificent courage and high humour,of myth,magic,marvel - and through it all,the scarlet thread of tragic realism that governed a people beset by the constantly recurring threat of extinction.Because the Celts themselves had no written tradition,Joy Chant has chosen to tell their magnificent legends as they had been told in their own time - by bards around a campfire, or at the courts of their High Kings.And for time and place she has chosen the last great Celtic court - that of King Arthur - setting each tale within a framework that includes a note about the historical or cultural background.Each legend is illuminated by the paintings of George Sharp,who worked closely with the author and editor every step of the way.In addition to the full colour plates and the illustrations,David Larkin,art designer for the book,has selected Celtic decorative patterns,maps and reproductions of their marvellous bronze and gold artifacts to enhance the stories and notes. The result is high drama,an extraordinary overview of the legends of the Celts, placing them in relation to the state of mind of Arthur's people as they gathered themselves for the final defence of their way of life.Here,then,is a unique volume that combines rich visual imagery with sweeping epic,and captures the lives of the Celts through the great historic myths that bred them. Joy Chant is best known as a writer of fantasy.Readers first encountered her imaginary world of Vandarei,peopled by the Khentorei,(wandering nomads whose gods include a magnificent equine divinity,along with many other races and tribes) in 'Red Moon,Black Mountain',and 'Grey Mane of Morning.' George Sharp started painting professionally in 1975,doing book covers and a wide variety of commissions for various kinds of illustration requirements.'The High Kings' is his first full-length book of illustration.His paintings are always meticulously authentic,and in fact,he became so fascinated by his subject that he sought out Celtic artifacts in museums all over Britain,had costumes woven to Celtic patterns for his models,and himself re-created an actual full-scale replica of the marvellously engineered (and,of course, carved and decorated) Celtic chariot Earlier he had grown up in Nottingham,England,completing his artistic education at the Nottingham School of Art.He has been a typographer and graphic designer,art director and creative director in advertising,and eventually Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design at the Middlesex Polytechnic in London,a position he left to follow his full-time painting career,of which this book is one happy result. Please contact seller @ rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk ,because of the weight of this item for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,that stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of any inexpensive book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **