103 “His Strongest Illustrations” 173(BEARDSLEY, Aubrey) MALORY, Thomas. The Birth, Life and Acts of King Arthur, Of His Noble Knights of the Round Table. New York and London, 1927. Large quarto, original black cloth gilt. $3200 Limited third and best edition, American issue, of Beardsley’s illustrated Morte D’Arthur, one of 1600 copies, with 20 full-page illustrations and hundreds of ornamental chapter headings by Beardsley. Beardsley’s illustrations for Morte D’Arthur (first published by Caxton in 1485) “brought him instant recognition and the artistic leadership of a decade often known as the ‘Beardsley period’” (The Artist and the Book 16). This edition contains all of the designs and ornaments omitted from the first edition of 1893-94. Very nearly fine. “Transparent Simplicity And Intense Vividness” 174DANTE (CARY, Henry Francis, translator). The Vision; or Hell, Purgatory, And Paradise, of Dante Alighieri. London, 1819. Three volumes. Octavo, 19th-century three-quarter green morocco gilt. $4700 Second edition of Cary’s renowned translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy, very handsomely bound in contemporary morocco-gilt. Cary’s translation was first published in 1814 in a smaller 16mo format. However, “a new edition was published in 1819, and ever since… it has remained the translation which, on Dante’s name being mentioned, occurs first to the mind,” as Cary has “in great measure preserved his transparent simplicity and intense vividness” (DNB). Only occasional foxing. Very handsome in fine contemporary morocco-gilt. Willy Pogány’s Illustrated Rubaiyat, With 16 Color Plates 175(POGÁNY, Willy) KHAYYÁM, Omar. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. London, circa 1930. Slim octavo, contemporary full dark green calf gilt. $950 Early edition of Pogány’s illustrated Rubaiyat, with 16 splendid fullpage color plates, handsomely bound by Bayntun. Hungarian-born Willy Pogány “specialized in gift book embellishment both before and after the First World War” (Harthan, 242). He first illustrated this 12th-century Persian poem in 1909. Printed with calligraphic initial letters, tailpieces and decorative borders in green ink. Interior fine, boards gently bowed. A lovely illustrated edition.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDg3OTM=