Lysistrata of Aristophanes - Wholly Translated Into English and Illustrated with Eight Full-Page Drawings by Aubrey Beardsley, with a Preface on Aristophanic Comedy and its Reflection in the Art of the Illustrator By George Frederic Lees by Aristophanes; Aubrey Beardsley; George Frederic Lees; Edward McLean - 1931

Privately Printed in Paris. Fine. 1931. Hardcover. Copy 517 of 525 with 25 copies numbered 1-25 on Van Gelder paper, and 500 copies numbered 26-525 on Mould-Made Annonay Paper. Stunning Edward McLean binding in fine condition. Vellum back strip from original binding laid in on rear endpaper; fore and bottom edges deckled. All eight illustrations present as called for. Recent conservation work included fine retouching of lightly faded back strip and velvet finish endpapers strengthened; text block in fine condition with light toning to half title page and edges. Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) completed 8 plates for the 1896 English translation of Lysistrata of Aristophanes which was translated by Samuel Smith. Beardsley felt that these plates were some of his strongest works. This edition was privately printed in 1931 with 8 copies found in OCLC as of January 2019. This copy of Lysistrata was acquired by the consignor's family from Lowdermilks Rare Books in Washington D. C. Probably in the late 1940s or early 1950s. The consignor remembers family stories that Lowdermilks did not feel comfortable selling the book to a woman. Edward McLean was referred to the consignor (probably by Phillip Duschnes) for binding work and the family hired him to rebind at least 5 books, possibly more. McLean did not sign his binding. Conservationist and historian Karen Jones of Denver confirms that this is an Edward McLean binding. Edward McLean (1905-1982) was a design binder born in Victor, Colorado in 1905. With his sister Jane, he first pursued a career in modern dance. An accident forced him to give up dancing in 1934, and, after a five-year apprenticeship with Hazel Dreis in California, he embarked on a career in bookbinding and publishing with her in New Mexico. His publishing company, Libros Escogidos, produced three books: Fifteen New Mexico Santos, 1941 (NM) ; Vicente Silva & His 40 Bandits, 1947 (Washington D. C. ) ; and Three Letters from St. Louis, 1958 (Denver). McLean held positions at the Library of Congress, the Folger Library, Detroit Public Library, University of Denver, Duke University, and Arizona State University. He made Denver his home circa 1953-68, returning to Denver again later in life. He bound books for institutions and private collectors and took on a number of students. Characteristics of his bindings include an extensive use of inlay and experimental use of materials - goatskin, deerskin, calf, suede, brocade, hand-blocked linen, hand-loomed tapestry, seal skin, shark skin, snake skin, bandana cloth, velvet, and denim among them. Of his original bindings, he explained that he was trying to "reflect in visual form, the character and substance of what the author has to say." His binding for Lysistrata is a lovely example of his style; a full leather (goatskin) binding that includes both inlay and onlay elements as well as simple, but very effective and selective gold tooling. He was the first American to exhibit at the International Bookbinders Congress (MDE - Meister der Einbandkunst International) in 1962. Correspondence from the University of Denver in 1967 described him as being one of the top six binders in the US. A glowing tribute to McLean was written by Clark Kimball, proprietor of Great Southwest Books in Santa Fe in 1982. There was an exhibit of McLean's work in Sept. 1984 as part of the annual Book Arts Festival in Santa Fe. A number of his bindings were exhibited in Denver (Bookbinding in Colorado) in 1994 and at the New Mexico Museum of Art (Passions in Print exhibit) in 2005. Oak Knoll Press published a catalog: "Bookbinding: Including Books from the Libraries of Howard M. Nixon and Edward McLean in 1984." ; 4to 11" - 13" tall; 61 pp .