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(BEARDSLEY, Aubrey) MALORY, Sir Thomas,
Le Morte d'Arthur.
The Text as Written by Sir Thomas Malory and Imprinted by William Caxton at Westminster The Year MCCCCLXXXV and now Spelled in Modern Style. With an Introduction by Professor Rhys and Embellished with Many Original Designs by Aubrey Beardsley.
First edition, one of 1500 ordinary paper copies, out of a total edition of 1800 copies. In 1892, seeking to emulate the books of the Kelmscott Press, John M. Dent commissioned the twenty-year-old Beardsley to produce this edition of Le Morte D'Arthur. The 351 designs appearing in the first edition required eighteen months for the artist to complete. Bored with the project, Beardsley at last refused to complete Dent's original projection of 500 drawings. Of this, Beardsley's first major work, John Lewis states: "In Le Morte D'Arthur Beardsley learnt his job, but the result is no bungling student's work … If he had never illustrated another book, this edition of Morte D'Arthur could stand as a monument of decorative book illustration" (in The Twentieth Century Book, pp. 148-149).
2 volumes, large octavo. Finely bound by The Chelsea Bindery in dark blue morocco, titles and decorations to spines, raised bands, single rule to boards, inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt, others untrimmed. With black and white illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley. Some minor blemishes to a couple of leaves, an excellent copy finely bound.
