Le Morte d'Arthur: The Birth Life and Acts of King Arthur (Finely bound by Birdsall)
London: Printed by Turnbull & Spears for J. M. Dent at Aldine House, 1893-1894.
First Beardsley edition. Complete in two volumes each measuring 9.25" x 7.5". Finely bound by Birdsall in gilt-ruled and elaborately ornamented midnight blue levant with arts & crafts gilt-tooled faery vignettes on green, red, and orange morocco onlays, spine with elaborate lady in the lake vignettes over onlays, raised bands, morocco lettering pieces, gilt-rolled dentelles, filleted edges, top edges gilt, marbled endpapers, original pictorial cloth panels bound in. One of 1,500 copies of the regular issue, from a total run of 1,800. Near Fine with light rubbing along bottom edge; endpaper cracked at front hinge of Vol. 1; leaves mildly toned as usual. Bookseller label of Harry F. Marks to rear pastedown of Vol. 1. From the collection of actor and comedian Robin Williams and his wife. An exquisite fine binding with arts & crafts tooling perfectly attuned to the illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley within. The first appearance of the famous illustrator's first important work. "In Le Morte D'Arthur Beardsley learnt his job, but the result is no bungling student's work... If he had never illustrated another book, this edition of Morte D'Arthur could stand as a monument of decorative book illustration" (in The Twentieth Century Book, pp. 148-149). Beardsley was 20 years old when Dent first commissioned him with this project.
Price: $7,500