"Books are a hardbound drug with no danger of overdose. I am the happy victim of books."
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Arthur Rackham | First Editions
1867 - 1939
London-born artist Arthur Rackham studied drawing at evening classes at Lambeth School of Art (1884) for 7 years whilst working full-time in insurance. He began to illustrate books, using the then new half-tone process his fame spreading upon publication of his illustrated Grimm's Fairy Tales. In 1905 his illustrated Rip van Winkle introduced him to the US public; one year later Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens was published. Rackham was made a full member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour in 1908, and was honoured abroad with gold medals from Milan (1906) and Barcelona (1911).His illustrations for many classics followed including Alice In Wonderland (1907), Gulliver's Travels (1909), Aesop's Fables (1912), A Christmas Carol (1915), King Arthur (1917) Cinderella (1919), Sleepy Hollow (1928), The Night Before Christmas (1931), Hans Andersen (1932), The Pied Pier of Hamelin (1934) and Poe's Tales (1935). His final book was The Wind In the Willows (1940).
See below our stock of Arthur Rackham First Editions, fine bindings, sets and other collectible material.
Aesop's Fables. A new translation by V.S. Vernon-Jones with an introduction by G.K. Chesterton.
London: William Heinemann, 1912. [Children's Illustrated / Folklore] FIRST RACKHAM ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Small quarto (21 x 16cm), pp.[2]; xxx; 224. With 13 chromolithographic plates including and frontispiece, and 54 further wood engravings, in-text and individual plates. Elegantly bound in half mid green morocco over publisher's pictorial cloth, with five raised..... More
Fairy Tales by Hans Andersen. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
London, George G. Harrap and Co. Ltd., 1932. [Fairy tales] FIRST RACKHAM EDITION, SIGNED LIMITED deluxe issue. Large octavo (26 x 19cm), pp.288. With twelve full-page coloured plates with tissue guards and many full page and in-text black and white illustrations. Publisher's gilt-stamped parchment over boards, top edge gilt, others..... More
Fairy Tales by Hans Andersen. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
London: George G. Harrap and Co., 1932. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST RACKHAM ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Large octavo (26 x 20cm), pp.288. With 12 very fine colour plates, including a frontispiece, each with a captioned tissue guard, as well as numerous in-text illustrations. Publisher's red cloth with gilt titles to spine and upper..... More
Fairy Tales by Hans Andersen. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
London, George G. Harrap and Co. Ltd., 1932. [Fairy tales] FIRST RACKHAM EDITION. Large octavo (25 x 19cm), pp.288. With twelve full-page coloured plates with tissue guards and many full page and in-text black and white illustrations. Publisher's russet cloth blocked in gilt, illustrated dust-wrapper in original card gift box..... More
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. From the Little White Bird. A New Edition.
London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, no date [1912]. [Children's illustrated] REVISED 'BEST' EDITION. Quarto (29 x 22cm), pp.[8]; 126 [2]. With 50 chromolithographic plates by Rackham, as well as further occasional wood engravings. Exquisitely bound in full native red oasis morocco, gilt, by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, with gilt character tools..... More
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. From The Little White Bird.
London: Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1912. 'BEST EDITION' OF PETER PAN. Quarto, pp.6; 127. Bound in publisher's gilt decorated green cloth featuring four birds at head of board, and children linking arms at lower end of board. Author/illustrator/title blocked in gilt to front board and spine, additional tooling to spine..... More
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.
London: Hodder & Stoughton, no date [circa 1910]. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST OCTAVO RACKHAM EDITION. Octavo (21 x 16cm), pp.[10] 126 [4]. With 24 colour plates by Rackham, each with a captioned tissue guard. Recent green half morocco with gilt titles to red labels, further gilt decoration to spine, and marbled..... More
Cinderella. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
London: William Heinemann, 1919. [Children's classic] FIRST RACKHAM EDITION. Large octavo (26 x 20cm), pp.110; [1], imprint; [1], blank. Mounted colour plate as frontispiece, with numerous silhouette and three-tone illustrations. Publisher's orange cloth spine and pictorial boards, pictorial green endpapers. Internally very clean, top corner bumped else binding is sound..... More
The Wind in the Willows. With an Introduction by A.A. Milne.
London: Methuen and Co., 1950. [Children's classic] FIRST RACKHAM EDITION. Octavo, pp.xii; 178. Beautifully illustrated by Mr. Rackham with 12 full colour plates, including frontispiece, plus several line drawings. Elegantly bound in green half morocco, gilt to spine, raised bands and top edge gilt, matching cloth sides, original spine preserved..... More
The Wind in the Willows. With an Introduction by A.A. Milne.
London: Methuen and Co., 1950. [Children's classic] FIRST RACKHAM ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Octavo (23 x 15cm), pp.xii; 178. Beautifully illustrated by Mr. Rackham with 12 full colour plates, including frontispiece, plus several line drawings. Elegantly bound in green half morocco, gilt to spine, raised bands and top edge gilt, matching cloth..... More
A Wonder Book. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
London: Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., n.d. FIRST RACKHAM EDITION. Quarto (24 x 19cm). Illustrated with twenty-four mounted colour plates with captioned tissue guards. Half red morocco, gilt, over original gilt-stamped pictorial cloth sides, t.e.g. Internally clean, externally unmarked. A fine copy in an attractive recent leather binding. More
The Ingoldsby Legends. Or, Mirth and Marvels. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
London: J.M. Dent and Co., 1907. [Children's Illustrated] FIRST THUS, second Rackham illustrated edition. Quarto (26 x 20cm), pp.xx; 549 [3]. With twenty-four mounted coloured plates, captioned tissues, twelve illustrations with tint and sixty-six line drawings. Publisher's mid-green cloth pictorially stamped in gilt, illustrated endpapers, top edge gilt, fore-edge and..... More
Rip Van Winkle. With drawings by Arthur Rackham.
London: William Heinemann, 1905. FIRST RACKHAM EDITION. Quarto (25 x 19cm), with 51 mounted colour plates bound together after the text. Bound in dark green morocco over original green cloth boards with gilt design to upper. Very light spotting, plates clean without creases. Near fine. Set in Sleepy Hollow, Irving's..... More
Arthur Rackham's Book of Pictures. With an Introduction by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch.
London: William Heinemann, 1913. [Fantasy] FIRST RACKHAM EDITION. Large octavo. (30 x 23cm). With forty-four full-page mounted colour-plate illustrations, captioned tissues, ten drawings in black and white. Smartly bound in recent half green calf, gilt, with raised bands, original cloth sides titled in gilt. Light foxing to some caption tissues..... More
Arthur Rackham's Book of Pictures. With an Introduction by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch.
London: William Heinemann, 1913. [Fantasy] FIRST RACKHAM EDITION. Large octavo. (30 x 23cm), pp.44 of text, followed by forty-four full-page mounted colour-plate illustrations, captioned tissues, with ten drawings in black and white. Smartly bound in grey half morocco, gilt-lettered to black title labels, spine in six compartments with raised bands..... More
Some British Ballads. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
London: Constable and Co., Ltd., 1909. LIMITED EDITION of 575 copies of which this is No 133, SIGNED by Rackham. Large octavo (29 x 23cm), pp.136. Illustrated with 16 mounted colour plates with captioned tissues plus numerous black and white line-drawings within the text. Bound in recent dark blue full..... More
Mother Goose. The Old Nursery Rhymes. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
New York: The Century Co., 1913. FIRST US EDITION, with larger plates and format than the UK edition. Contains 13 colour plates and numerous black and white illustrations. Publisher's dark blue cloth, colour illustration pasted down to upper, gilt titles to spine. A fine copy, in chipped but bright dustwrapper..... More
A Midsummer Night's Dream. With Illustrations by Arthur Rackham.
London: William Heinemann, 1908. [Fantasy drama] First Rackham Illustrated Edition. Quarto (25 x 19cm), pp.134. With 40 tipped-in colour plates, each with captioned tissue guards. Publisher's light brown cloth pictorially stamped in gilt, top edge tinted brown. Contents clean, some spotting to endpapers, neat contemporary inscription to flyleaf, binding a...... More
A Midsummer Night's Dream. With Illustrations by Arthur Rackham.
London: William Heinemann, 1908. [Fantasy drama] First Rackham Illustrated Edition. Quarto (25 x 19cm), pp.134. With forty tipped-in colour plates, each with captioned tissue guards. Bound in recent mid-brown half morocco with gilt-lettered title labels and tooling to spine over publisher's original gilt-pictorial boards. Contents clean, exterior as new. A...... More
A Midsummer Night's Dream. With Illustrations by Arthur Rackham.
London: William Heinemann, 1908. [Fantasy drama] First Rackham Illustrated Edition, SIGNED LIMITED ISSUE. Large Quarto (30 x 24cm), pp.134; [1], blank; [1], imprint. With forty tipped-in colour plates, each with captioned tissue guards. Handsomely bound in blue full oasis morocco, with twin red labels to spine, gilt decoration, marbled endpapers..... More
A Midsummer Night's Dream. With Illustrations by Arthur Rackham.
London: William Heinemann, 1908. [Fantasy drama] First Rackham Illustrated Edition. Quarto (25 x 19cm), pp.134. With forty tipped-in colour plates, each with captioned tissue guards. Bound in recent half green morocco with gilt-lettered title labels and tooling to spine, matching cloth sides. Some light and occasional toning. Contents clean, exterior..... More
Don Gypsy: Adventures with a Fiddle in Barbary, Andalusia and La Mancha.
London: John Murray, 1936. FIRST EDITION. Octavo, pp.xvi, 525 [3]. With six photographic plates, a map, and a frontispiece and title-page vignette by Arthur Rackham.In publisher's orange cloth with gilt titles to spine. Light spotting to prelims and edges. Spine sunned and rubbed. Good overall. More
The Rhinegold and the Valkyrie With Illustrations by Arthur Rackham. Translated by Margaret Armour.
London: William Heinemann, 1910. [Norse Saga] FIRST RACKHAM ILLUSTRATED EDITION, SIGNED LIMITED ISSUE. Quarto (30 x 24cm). Illustrated with tipped-in colour plates. Publisher's full parchment over boards pictorially blocked in gilt, top edge gilt. A lightly used copy with very gentle spotting, and little marking to covers, silk ties wanting..... More
The Ring of the Niblung: A Trilogy with a Prelude by Richard Wagner. The Rhinegold: Prelude; The Valkyrie: First Day of the Trilogy; Siegfried: Second Day of the Trilogy; The Twilight of the Gods: Third Day of the Trilogy.
London: William Heinemann, 1910, 1911. [Opera / Norse Mythology] SIGNED LIMITED EDITIONS.Two volumes. Quarto (30 x 24cm), pp.[2] x; 159 [1]; pp.[2] x; 182 [2]. Copies 863 and 467 respectively of 1150 copies produced of each book, SIGNED by the artist in black ink to limitation page. With 34 high..... More
The Compleat Angler. Or the Contemplative Man's Recreation, Being a Discourse of Rivers, Fishponds, Fish, and Fishing not Unworthy the Perusal of Most Anglers.
London: George G. Harrap and Co., 1931. FIRST RACKHAM ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Quarto (26 x 20cm), pp.224. Publisher's blue-green cloth, gilt to spine and upper board, pictorial endpapers, top edge gilt, illustrated dustwrapper. With twelve tissue-guarded colour plate illustrations. Internally clean and fine. Jacket with a short creased tear to upper..... More