First Edition de Luxe. One of 125 copies signed by the illustrator, Harry Clarke. Large 4to. Publisher's vellum, spine and upper cover lettered in gilt, upper cover with a Harry Clarke design stamped in gilt, top edge gilt, others untrimmed, bookplate of English novelist Anthony Powell (1905-2000) to front pastedown, 16 colour plates mounted onto Japanese vellum with captioned tissue guards, 24 black and white plates printed on thick glossy paper, plus numerous vignettes, a few pages still uncut. Published by George G. Harrap & Company (Portsmouth), 1916.
A touch of very minor wear to the binding, covers a little bowed, occasional very light spotting (far less than usually encountered), one tissue guard slightly creased, one loose plate has been expertly reattached to the text block by the George Bayntun bindery; a near fine example.
It is exceptionally rare to encounter this book in such beautiful condition.
This copy has notable provenance containing the engraved bookplate of the English novelist Anthony Powell (1905-2000), who is most famous for his twelve volume work “A Dance to the Music of Time.”
This book was Harry Clarke’s first Gift Book illustration commission and is one of the rarest books to encounter from the golden age of deluxe illustrated books. Clarke worked for three years on these illustrations after receiving the commission from Harrap. An advertisement by the publisher in the 1919 Bookman stated: “Mr Clarke brings to Hans Andersen an entirely fresh interpretation and he appeals to the intellectual emotions of art lovers."
“There is a brightness and energy to these pictures that may have derived from the fact that this was Clarke’s first book and he was happy to be paid for his artistry. Clarke has offered a genuine view of the Andersen’s tales but seen through his special and highly unusual view of the world.” [Steenson A.1a].
Please contact us for shipping costs if ordering from outside the UK.
First Edition de Luxe. One of 125 copies signed by the illustrator, Harry Clarke. Large 4to. Publisher's vellum, spine and upper cover lettered in gilt, upper cover with a Harry Clarke design stamped in gilt, top edge gilt, others untrimmed, bookplate of English novelist Anthony Powell (1905-2000) to front pastedown, 16 colour plates mounted onto Japanese vellum with captioned tissue guards, 24 black and white plates printed on thick glossy paper, plus numerous vignettes, a few pages still uncut. Published by George G. Harrap & Company (Portsmouth), 1916.
A touch of very minor wear to the binding, covers a little bowed, occasional very light spotting (far less than usually encountered), one tissue guard slightly creased, one loose plate has been expertly reattached to the text block by the George Bayntun bindery; a near fine example.
It is exceptionally rare to encounter this book in such beautiful condition.
This copy has notable provenance containing the engraved bookplate of the English novelist Anthony Powell (1905-2000), who is most famous for his twelve volume work “A Dance to the Music of Time.”
This book was Harry Clarke’s first Gift Book illustration commission and is one of the rarest books to encounter from the golden age of deluxe illustrated books. Clarke worked for three years on these illustrations after receiving the commission from Harrap. An advertisement by the publisher in the 1919 Bookman stated: “Mr Clarke brings to Hans Andersen an entirely fresh interpretation and he appeals to the intellectual emotions of art lovers."
“There is a brightness and energy to these pictures that may have derived from the fact that this was Clarke’s first book and he was happy to be paid for his artistry. Clarke has offered a genuine view of the Andersen’s tales but seen through his special and highly unusual view of the world.” [Steenson A.1a].
Please contact us for shipping costs if ordering from outside the UK.
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