SIGNED LIMITED EDITION OF RACKHAM'S THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

(RACKHAM, Arthur) MOORE, Clement C. The Night Before Christmas. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. London: George C. Harrap, (1931). Octavo, original gilt-stamped limp vellum, red and white pictorial endpapers, uncut, top edge gilt, original cardboard slipcase with printed paper spine label. $4500.

Signed limited first edition, number 2 of only 275 copies printed for England (out of a total edition of 550 copies), with four color plates and 17 in-text line cuts, signed by Arthur Rackham, a lovely copy in publisher's vellum.

"One of the world's most widely read poems… 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' recast St. Nicholas as a cheerful, rosy-cheeked elf and established Christmas as a time for giving gifts to children" (Carnegie Mellon University). For this edition of the Yuletide classic, Rackham created four full-color illustrations, 17 drawings in black and white, and red and white pictorial endpapers. Title page printed in red and black. The slipcase is numbered "2." Without plain wrapper.
Riall, 174. Latimore & Haskell, 66.

Minor expert repairs to slipcase, only occasional faint foxing to text. A Christmas classic in about-fine condition.