R.v.R.: The Life of Rembrandt van Rijn

New York: The Heritage Reprints, 1939. Hardcover. Small 4to. Pictorial paper over boards, dust jacket. xxxvi, 378pp. Color frontispiece, numerous illustrations. Very good. Jacket lightly edgeworn and a bit rubbed; faint floral mustiness. Tight, handsome (to cite front jacket panel) "Reprint of the Beautiful Edition Originally Made for the Members of the Heritage Club," and as title page notes, "Revised especially for this edition by the author and illustrated with 150 reproductions of the drawings, etchings and paintings of Rembrandt selected and arranged by J.B. Neumann." This copy bears choice autograph addition: Tipped to front flyleaf is an Autograph Note Signed from van Loon, 1p, 8" X 11", New York, 6 March 1933. Although recipient not noted, this was sent to noted Lincoln/Civil War scholar Arnold F. Gates (1914-93). Very good. Delightfully snarky yet humorous note to an admirer: "If you send your prospective victim a self-addressed and stamped envelope you might have better results. Not all of us are as good-natured as Hendrik Willem van Loon." Boldly penned in black ink in van Loon's hurried scrawl. Van Loon (1882-1944), the Dutch-born American historian, journalist, illustrator and author of many popular prize-winning young adult books, won the first-ever Newberry Medal for his 1921 "The Story of Mankind.