The Rape of the Lock, An Heroi-Comical Poem in Five Cantos

London: Leonard Smithers, 1896. Hardcover. Very Good. Beardsley, Aubrey. Designed by Aubrey Beardsley with his initials to front cover. Hardcover with beveled boards, full blue cloth with gilt lettering to spine and gilt design to front cover, 9-3/8" tall, 48 pp., nine illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley. Wear to spine ends with 1/8" tear to bottom of front joint, moderate wear to tips, moderate rubbing to gilt on front cover, foxing to text pages, especially to first several pages. Aubrey Beardsley's cover shows a clear distinction between his skills in illustration and design. The illustrations in this work are intricate, highly detailed, and free flowing. In contrast, the cover is symmetrical and formal, and quite within the poster art style which was in its heyday in the 1890s. In both styles, Beardsley succeeds; although the florid erotic drawings might be better known, this cover is a brilliant example of the poster art design.