Mother Goose: The Old Nursery Rhymes.

RACKHAM, Arthur .

Item Number: 118439

London: William Heinemann, 1913.

First edition of Arthur Rackham’s illustrated rendition of the classic nursery rhyme collection. Octavo, elaborately bound in full scarlet morocco by Birdsall for Charles Scribner’s Sons with gilt titles and flor gilt decorations to the spine in two compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt ruling to the panels with gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, morocco decorative inlay to the front panel, all edges gilt, silk watered endleaves. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham with 12 captioned tissue-guarded illustrations in color including frontispiece and numerous illustrations in black and white. In fine condition. Housed in a custom slipcase.

One of the leading literary figures during the Golden Age of British book illustration, Arthur Rackham's work is noted for its robust pen and ink drawings, which were combined with the use of watercolor, a technique he developed due to his background as a journalistic illustrator. "Arthur Rackham’s fanciful imagination gave his illustrations instant recognition, and his dedication to illustration kept him in the public eye for 30 years" (Hodnett, 233).