Morte Darthur Portfolio: Reproductions of Eleven Designs Omitted from the First Edition of Le Morte Darthur Illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley
London: J. M. Dent & Sons Limited, 1927.
Limited edition; number 138 of a limited 300 copies. Bound in publisher's vellum boards elaborately stamped with Beardsley's iconic water lily design over leather spine lettered in gilt. Housed in [original?] card slipcase. Near Fine with light toning and light rubbing to covers, offsetting from plates throughout contents as usual, else Fine. Slipcase lightly worn, toned and with old bookseller catalog entry mounted to one panel.
A lavish production featuring eleven omitted Beardsley designs from the first edition of Le Morte Darthur, as well as the designs made for the covers of the parts and a reproduction of the Merlin drawing. The scarce portfolio tailored to be a collector’s item produced in response to the success of the previous three editions and subsequent Beardsley craze, as evidenced by the publisher’s note, which emphasizes how the book is "distinguished from its predecessors, so far as Beardsley is concerned" due to the three illustrations "which have never before been printed with the Morte Darthur." Produced without text, the work simply exemplifies Beardsley's striking renditions of the Arthurian legend.
Price: $2,400