Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp by Ransome, Arthur

New York; Nd[ca.1920]: Brentano's. Small Quarto. 64 leaves, illustrated by Thomas Mackenzie with 12 tipped in illustrations each with captioned tissue guards. The rich work of Thomas Mackenzie is now recognized as one of the major forces in the Golden Age of Art. His sumptuous Aladdin and his wonderful lamp shows the immense talent. It was during this time that there was an advance in printing that allowed magnificent color plates to be issued in editions that matched the work done in very small editions of the early 20th century. It was soon recognized that he could produce details even beyond the reach of Beardsley. He was given a commission in 1916 to produce a fine gift book on the theme of Aladdin in a rhymed version by Arthur Ransome. After producing only a portion, the extent of the Great War caused the publisher to pull back. The cost of such a fine book seemed too great to issue during the War but when it was issued in 1920 it became a major item sought by those who recognized him as one of the handful of great artists who in illustrating classic fairy tales captured the imagination of both children and adults. Bound in tan pictorial cloth lettered and accented in red and blue, spine red and blue, black and white illustrated endpapers, joints lightly rubbed, corners only slightly bent. A very nice copy with no names or plates.