Ibsen, Henrik (Arthur Rackham, illustrator). Peer Gynt: A Dramatic Poem. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., 1936. First Rackham Edition. Deluxe "Edition limited to Four Hundred and Sixty copies, of which Four Hundred and Fifty are for sale. This is copy No. 104." Signed by the artist as "Arthur Rackham" in ink on the justification page. 4to measuring 10-11/16" x 8" (271 x 203 mm). [2], 255, [3] pp., plus 12 unnumbered leaves of colored plates. Publisher's deluxe full vellum covered boards, with titles and elegant decorative motifs stamped in gilt to the front cover and spine panel. Housed in the original publisher's gray paper covered board slipcase, featuring the original paper label printed in brown pasted to the spine panel with a hand-inked number matching the volume's limitation number. Features Rackham's custom gray and white pictorial endpapers, top edge gilt (t.e.g.), with other edges remaining entirely uncut. Provenance: Features the fine contemporary bookplate of Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. (noted American business executive and major philanthropist) affixed to the front pastedown. Latimore and Haskell, pp. 74; Riall, p. 192.
The physical condition of the item is graded FINE (utilizing the standard antiquarian book grading scale for works on paper). The deluxe full vellum binding remains exceptionally structural, secure, and tight, exhibiting only a light, highly uniform, and natural toning to the vellum surfaces, presenting a stunning and remarkably sharp survival of a notoriously sensitive binding. Internally, the text block and plates are well-preserved and pristine, with the twelve color plates remaining entirely untouched, bright, and clean. Minor defects are restricted to the publisher's original slipcase, which is graded VERY GOOD + (utilizing the same grading scale) due to minor routine rubbing to the edges, though it remains completely intact, functionally secure, and structurally sound.
This magnificent volume represents a major late-career triumph for Arthur Rackham (1867–1939), bringing his signature atmospheric line work and ethereal color washes to Henrik Ibsen's celebrated five-act Norwegian verse drama. The text features a spectacular color frontispiece and eleven additional full-color plates, all protected by their original captioned tissue guards, alongside numerous small black and white drawings, headpieces, and textual vignettes scattered throughout. Rackham's distinct ability to balance the whimsical with the deeply psychological mirrors the folklore and existential journey of Peer Gynt perfectly, making this limited edition one of the most visually cohesive and sought-after fine press productions of the late Golden Age of Illustration.
A MAGNIFICENT, SIGNED LIMITED FIRST RACKHAM EDITION OF HENRIK IBSEN'S PEER GYNT, NUMBER 104 OF ONLY 450 COPIES FOR SALE, SIGNED BY ARTHUR RACKHAM IN THE PUBLISHER'S DE LUXE FULL VELLUM BINDING AND COMPLEMENTED BY ITS ORIGINAL NUMBERED SLIPCASE, REPRESENTING A CRITICAL ACQUISITION FOR INSTITUTIONAL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OR EXTRAORDINARY PRIVATE COLLECTIONS DEVOTED TO THE HISTORY OF THEATRE, SCANDINAVIAN DRAMATIC LITERATURE, TWENTIETH-CENTURY FINE PRESS PUBLISHING, OR THE GOLDEN AGE OF ILLUSTRATION.
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