A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls

Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1893. Limited Edition. Vellum. Near fine/very good. Crane, Walter. One of 250 Edition DeLuxe copies, quarto size, 220 pp., with cloth jacket. Walter Crane (1845-1915), initially self-taught, was apprenticed to W.J. Linton in 1857. To further develop his craft, "he studied early printed books, medieval illuminations, Japanese prints and the work of the pre-Raphaelites"; he even authored at least one book on the art of illustration, "Of the Decorative Illustration of Books Old and New". Crane in many ways epitomized the Arts and Crafts style, and in addition to his book illustrations, his "varied work includes examples of plaster (truncated) relief, tiles, stained glass, pottery, wallpaper, and textile designs" (n.b., first quote from Houfe and second from Wiki).

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) achieved literary fame with the publication of "The Scarlet Letter" (1850) which "was immediately hailed as a work of genius and America’s first major novel" (n.b., quote from the online American National Biography). He wrote many novels and short stories which are still read today, including "The Scarlet Letter", "Twice-Told Tales", "Tanglewood Tales", and this work, "A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys" (originally published in 1851).

For "A Wonder Book", Crane produced sixty designs: nineteen full-page (all in full colour), the illustrated title page, and chapter head- and tail-pieces, many of which are in two colours.

___DESCRIPTION: Bound in full blind-embossed vellum over boards, gilt lettering on front and spine, top edge gilt, gilt patterned endpapers, half-title encased within a Crane roundel, loosely laid in after the half-title is a small (4 1/2" by 3") notice to the customer regarding removal of the tissue papers (they "may be removed at pleasure"), coloured frontis one of the nineteen coloured full-page illustrations, illustrated title page in three colours (this and the full-page illustrations all consisting of a sheet of paper mounted and surrounded with gilt borders), followed by the printed title page in red and black with the Press device in the middle, limitation statement on copyright page, this no. 129 of 250 deluxe copies; binding quarto size (9 3/4" by 7"), pagination: [i-iv] v-x, 1-210. With the publisher's green cloth jacekt, a decoration by Crane and a banner showing the title in gilt on the front, gilt lettering and anther small decoration on the spine.

___CONDITION: Volume near fine, the vellum boards smooth and clean other than light dustiness and a few very small spots, the gilt top-edge bright, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, all of the tissue guards are still present (the original owner clearly having decided to ignore the advice regarding their removal), and entirely free of prior owner markings; the front board very slightly bowed and it appears as though the bottom of the front joint may just be starting to split, else fine. The cloth jacket very good, the spine sunned, with very light overall soil and edgewear.

___CITATION: Simon Houfe, The Dictionary of 19th Century British Book Illustrators, pp. 103 and 104.

___POSTAGE: International customers, please note the following: (i) additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs, please inquire for details; and (ii) any taxes, duty, or tariffs charged by your country will, of necessity, be your responsibility.

___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help. (Inventory #: 24120404)