The Vicar of Wakefield (Signed Limited Edition)
by [Rackham, Arthur] Goldsmith, Oliver
- Used
- Signed
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Pasadena, California, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Philadelphia: David McKay Company, 1929. First American edition. Deluxe issue, limited to 775 copies (575 for England and 200 for the United States) signed by Arthur Rackham, this being copy no. 94 of the American issue. Publisher's white vellum, front cover ruled and lettered in gilt, spine decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt, pictorial endpapers, top edge gilt, others uncut. A few text leaves poorly opened, some scattered foxing, bookplate on front paste-down. Quarto (10 5/16 x 7 3/4 in; 263 x 197 mm). 231, [1] pp. Twelve full page color plates, twenty-two black and white line drawings. A very good copy, housed in a green cloth slipcase.
"In the England of jazz and Noel Coward the whimsical and fantastic had grown increasingly out of fashion. With The Vicar of Wakefield of 1929... Rackham played it safe by turning to historical costume... in which he had long been supremely accomplished and successful" (Hudson 126).
One of the most popular books of the 18th century. This novel, both a work of sentimental fiction and a satire on the genre itself, follows the trials and eventual triumph of the Primrose family, led by the Rev'd Dr. Charles Primrose, the vicar. Goldsmith was a noted Irish wit and a member of Samuel Johnson's famed literary club, who Johnson praised as: "In genius, vivid, versatile, sublime. In style, clear, elevated, elegant." The legend of the book's publication is that Goldsmith was about to be arrested by his landlady for debt, when Johnson was able to sell the manuscript of the novel to a publisher for sixty pounds, saving his friend in the nick of time. "I brought Goldsmith the money, and he discharged his rent, not without rating his landlady in a high tone for having used him so ill."
Latimore and Haskell 65. Riall 170.
"In the England of jazz and Noel Coward the whimsical and fantastic had grown increasingly out of fashion. With The Vicar of Wakefield of 1929... Rackham played it safe by turning to historical costume... in which he had long been supremely accomplished and successful" (Hudson 126).
One of the most popular books of the 18th century. This novel, both a work of sentimental fiction and a satire on the genre itself, follows the trials and eventual triumph of the Primrose family, led by the Rev'd Dr. Charles Primrose, the vicar. Goldsmith was a noted Irish wit and a member of Samuel Johnson's famed literary club, who Johnson praised as: "In genius, vivid, versatile, sublime. In style, clear, elevated, elegant." The legend of the book's publication is that Goldsmith was about to be arrested by his landlady for debt, when Johnson was able to sell the manuscript of the novel to a publisher for sixty pounds, saving his friend in the nick of time. "I brought Goldsmith the money, and he discharged his rent, not without rating his landlady in a high tone for having used him so ill."
Latimore and Haskell 65. Riall 170.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Whitmore Rare Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 3709
- Title
- The Vicar of Wakefield (Signed Limited Edition)
- Author
- [Rackham, Arthur] Goldsmith, Oliver
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First American edition
- Publisher
- David McKay Company
- Place of Publication
- Philadelphia
- Date Published
- 1929
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
Terms of Sale
Whitmore Rare Books
15 day return guarantee, with full refund if an item arrives damaged or not matching the description.
About the Seller
Whitmore Rare Books
Biblio member since 2009
Pasadena, California
About Whitmore Rare Books
We operate a retail shop in "Old Town" Pasadena open normal business hours Tuesday through Saturday.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Paste-down
- The paste-down is the portion of the endpaper that is glued to the inner boards of a hardback book. The paste-down forms an...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Quarto
- The term quarto is used to describe a page or book size. A printed sheet is made with four pages of text on each side, and the...
- Vellum
- Vellum is a sheet of specialty prepared skin of lamb, calf, or goat kid used for binding a book or for printing and writing. ...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Top Edge Gilt
- Top edge gilt refers to the practice of applying gold or a gold-like finish to the top of the text block (the edges the pages...