Birth, Life and Acts of King Arthur... by MALORY, Sir Thomas - 1893

Beardsleyís ìMorte Darthurî Limited to 1500 Copies, With the Limited Portfolio of Additional Illustrations [BEARDSLEY, Aubrey, illustrator]. MALORY, Sir Thomas. The Birth, Life, and Acts of King Arthur, of His Noble Knights of the Round Table, Their Marvellous Enquests and Adventures, the Achieving of the San Greal, and in the End, Le Morte Darthur, with the Dolourous Death and Departing out of This World of Them All. The text as written by Sir Thomas Malory and imprinted by William Caxton at Westminster the Year MCCCCLXXXV and now spelled in modern style. With an introduction by Professor Rhys and embellished with many original designs by Aubrey Beardsley. [London: J.M. Dent & Co.], 1893-1894. First edition. One of 1,500 ordinary paper copies, out of a total edition of 1,800 copies. Two quarto volumes (9 3/8 x 7 1/2 inches; 238 x 191 mm.). xc, 455, [1, blank]; [8], [457]-990, [1, colophon], [1, blank] pp. With two photogravure frontispieces, eighteen wood-engraved plates (five double-page), numerous text illustrations, and approximately 350 chapter headings, borders, and initials, all after designs by Beardsley. Volumes uniformly bound in pigskin over boards, Beardsleyís design stamped in gilt on front covers and spines. Back covers with gilt publisher's device. Top edges gilt, others uncut. Some minor rubbing to board edges and gilt. Overall very good. [Together with:] [BEARDSLEY, Aubrey, illustrator]. Reproductions of Eleven Designs Omitted from the First Edition of Le Morte Darthur...With a foreword by Aymer Vallance and a note on the omitted designs by Rainforth Armitage Walker...London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1927. First edition. Limited to 300 numbered copies on handmade paper, this being number 69. Quarto (10 1/8 x 8 1/8 inches; 257 x 205 mm). [1, blank], [1, limitation], 45, [1, blank], [1, printerís imprint], [1, blank] pp. Fourteen drawings, including one mounted, comprising the eleven chapter headings omitted from the first edition, an enlarged reproduction of ìMerlin,î a sketch for an unused front wrapper design, and the front wrapper design as published. Original publisher's quarter tan calf over vellum beveled-edge boards, with Beardsleyís design stamped in gilt on front cove. Spine lettered in gilt. Plain white endpapers, top edges gilt, others uncut. Covers very lightly soiled and slightly bowed, as usual. Splits along front and back edges of spine, but holding firm. Overall very good. In 1892, seeking to emulate the books of the Kelmscott Press, John M. Dent commissioned the twenty-year-old Beardsley to produce this edition of Le Morte DíArthur. The 351 designs appearing in the first edition required eighteen months for the artist to complete. Bored with the project, Beardsley at last refused to complete Dentís original projection of 500 drawings. Of this, Beardsleyís first major work, John Lewis states: ìIn Le Morte DíArthur Beardsley learnt his job, but the result is no bungling studentís work...If he had never illustrated another book, this edition of Morte DíArthur could stand as a monument of decorative book illustrationî (in The Twentieth Century Book, pp. 148-149). Lasner, Beardsley, 22 and 22D. Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England, 314 (Le Morte Darthuronly). HBS 68069. $3,750