LE MORTE D’ARTHUR, by Thomas Malory and Aubrey Beardsley – 1927 Ltd. Le Morte d’Arthur. By Sir Thomas Malory. Illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley. Hardback is overall in VERY GOOD condition. Navy superfine covers over beveled boards have rich gilt decoration. Boards show some age, wear at the shoulders, edgewear. Corners are scuffed, with exposed board. Spine has gilt text and is bright with crushed, chipped ends. Pastedowns and feps have some staining. Frontispiece is present and has intact tissue guard. Illustrations are bright and clear, plates have lightly foxed tissue guards. Interior is uniformly tan, exhibits scattered foxing. Inside pages are free of writing and intentional marks. Text block edges have deckle fore and foot edges, gilt along head. 9 x 11.5 inches. Dent embarked on a new illustrated edition (1893). Beardsley’s illustrative talents and aesthetic sensibility lent themselves to the magic of Merlin and the lore of King Arthur’s knights, making for an edition that was at the same time old and new. The Third Edition, issued by E. Dutton in 1927, was the last to collect in one place Beardsley’s illustrations on the theme. This is a very good copy of this seminal presentation of Le Morte d’Arthur, with beveled boards richly decorated in gilt complementing the bold black of the in-text illustrations. Third Edition, 1600 copies printed. More photos available upon request. #panoplybooks #rarebooks #bookboutique #collectiblebooks #antiquebooks #vintagebooks #bookstore.
