Description
Sup 8vo, 144pp. Hardcover, rebound in light green cloth with a gilt design of a jester adhered to front board likely from the original olive green cloth with a further gilt title on dark green adhered to the new spine as well, all in excellent condition though with no d/w . text is in excellent condition with minor foxing throughout though none at all on any of the 40 tipped-in plates by Heath Robinson each with its own annotated paper guard. Printed on high quality paper though with new cream endpapers and no prior owner’s marks internally. Though undated, this is likely to be the 1908 first Heath Robinson (1872-1944) illustrated edition rebound beautifully in Armidale Australia. Obviously the value of this volume is from the superb tipped -in plates of the well known cartoonist and illustrator who, similarly to Edmund Dulac was commissioned by Hodder and Stoughton to produce superbly illustrated “giftbooks” of which this was his first H.and S. assignment . This volume is another for the collectors of great illustrators of the twentieth century including Rackham and Dulac and it is a beautiful acquisition with each tipped-in plate in pristine condition and all plates mounted on olive green backing are present (though the paper guard opposite page 56 is inexplicably missing) There is an excellent story preface by A.T Quiller-Couch pertaining of course to this famous Shakespearian comedy.