17 B a u m a n R a r e B o o k s “A Milestone Of Romantic Art”: Scarce 1786 First Edition Of Vathek, Beautifully Bound By Riviere & Son 15. BECKFORD, William. An Arabian Tale, from an Unpublished Manuscript: with Notes Critical and Explanatory [Vathek]. London, 1786. Octavo, 20th-century full red morocco gilt. $4900. First edition of Beckford’s one-of-a-kind Gothic/Orientalist fantasy Vathek, beautifully bound by Riviere & Son. Beckford, known in his day as the wealthiest commoner in England with a penchant for collecting art and building extravagant follies such as Fonthill Abbey and Lansdown Tower, originally composed this tale in French in 1782. His friend, the Reverend Samuel Henley, translated the manuscript into English and contributed the more than 100 pages of scholarly endnotes. Though Beckford desired his French original to be published before the English version, Henley’s translation appeared first. “Vathek is undoubtedly the finest European imitation of the Arabian Nights” (Sullivan, 26-7). “A work of great beauty, ingenuity, and imaginative perception, Beckford’s Vathek is a milestone of Romantic art and a tower to be climbed by all who wish to discover the outer limits of fantasy” (Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature IV, 2023-28). Issued simultaneously with a large-paper issue, this copy is on ordinary paper. Bound without half title, as often. Fine condition. Extra-Illustrated Aldine Edition Of Burns’ Poems, Exquisitely Bound 16. BURNS, Robert. The Poetical Works. New York and London, 1893. Three volumes. 12mo, contemporary full crimson morocco gilt, blue, green and white morocco floral inlays. $3500. Later Aldine edition of the poems of Burns, with portrait of the poet and extra-illustrated with 15 window-mounted engravings, six hand-colored, splendidly bound in full morocco-gilt with multicolored morocco inlays in floral designs. This three-volume set brings together the hundreds of poems, ballads and songs by the 18th-century Scottish poet. His poetical works, including the major poems “Tam o’ Shanter” and “The Jolly Beggars,” were first collected in 1800, edited by James Currie, a Liverpool physician, in order to raise funds for Burns’ family. “As a poet Burns stands in the front rank… He is the poet of freedom as well as beauty” (Allibone I:303). The “Aldine” edition of British poets, first brought out by the publisher William Pickering beginning in 1830, aimed to introduce scholarly editions of the classics in a smaller, more affordable format. A splendidly bound, extra-illustrated set in fine condition.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDg3OTM=