The Tempest by William Shakespeare

London: William Heinemann, 1926

First trade edition, first impression. Sized 25 x 19 cm. Pp. ix, 185.

Complete with all plates as called for, in original, unclipped dust wrapper.

Shakespeare's story of the betrayal of Prospero; the bookish Duke of Milan who uses magic to try to reclaim what's his from his brother Antonio. One of the most magical of Shakespeare's plays paired with Arthur Rackham's enchanting illustrations. Three of his plates for this story of betrayal and magic - in the words of Fred Gettings - "reach near perfection, and in so doing point a new quality in Rackham's work".

CONDITION REPORT

Publisher's original black cloth with gilt lettering and decorations to spine and front cover. Top edge yellow. With unclipped dust jacket. Colour frontispiece and 19 colour plates mounted on white paper, black and white illustrations in the text, all by Arthur Rackham. 

Minor rubbing to board edges and a little bumping to spine ends and upper rear corner. Gilt notably bright, both on cover and spine. A hint of foxing to edges with some foxing throughout. Nice, square binding with the lightest lean. Strong hinges and joints. In very good, smart condition, in like dust wrapper with a tanned spine, a few nicks to extremities, little portions of loss to spine tips and a short, closed tear to head of rear flap.

Really, a beautiful copy, with the dust wrapper now placed in a removable, protective sleeve of archival quality.

Please consult all photos before purchasing to make sure you are happy with the condition of the book(s). Should you have any questions or want more photos, please do not hesitate to reach out. All our books are stored in a smoke-free, climate-controlled library.

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