Siegfried & The Twilight of The Gods

London: William Heinemann, 1911 . First edition. Cloth. Good. 10" by 7.5". Arthur Rackham. The first edition of this beautifully illustrated edition of Richard Wagner's dramas, with tipped-in colour plates by Arthur Rackham. The first edition. Bound in the publisher's original cloth with gilt motif. Illustrated by English book illustrator, Arthur Rackham, who was best known for his work accompanying 'The Ingoldsby Legends', 'The Wind in the Willows', 'Grimm's Fairy Tales', and 'Gulliver's Travels', as well as contributing frequently to periodicals. He is considered to be one of the leaders of the 'Golden Age' of book illustrations. With thirty tipped-in colour plates. Collated, complete. From Richard Wagner's series, titled 'Der Ring des Nibelungen', or 'The Ring of the Nibelung', or simply the 'Ring Cycle'. There are four dramas in the series, all of which are loosely based on characters from Norse mythology and the Nibelungenlied. Richard Wagner is well remembered today for his operas, which are known for their complex textures, rich harmonies, and for the fact that he wrote both the libretto and music. He intended this piece to be performed in a series, with the first performance of the cycle opening at the first Bayreuth Festival in 1876. Many believe that the composition and story of this cycle raised the standards of the art form. Translated from German to English by Margaret Armour, a Scottish translator, poet, and novelist. Bound in the publisher's original cloth with gilt motif. Externally, good, with light damp staining to the extremities of the boards. Light bumping to the extremities and spine. Hinges are a touch strained after endpapers. Internally, firmly bound. Pages bright and clean, with light spotting to the first and last pages. Good