Grimms' Other Tales, A New Selection by Wilhelm Hansen: Translated & Edited by Ruth Michaelis-Jena and Arthur Ratcliff: Illustrated With Ten Wood-Engravings by Gwenda Morgan (with Prospectus)
[London]: The Golden Cockerel Press, 1956. Morgan, Gwenda. Limited Edition. Leather. No. 35 of 75 copies bound in morocco, octavo size, 160 pp., signed by Gwenda Morgan, with prospectus. Near Fine. Item #16073003
Per the book's prospectus: "Among treasures sent out of Berlin for safety during the war were the notebooks of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Among the manuscripts are a large number of the fairy-tales collected with tireless enthusiasm by the brothers, and for various reasons a considerable proportion of these are not available to the general reader and [are] virtually unknown. Already in 1823, when Taylor made the first English translation, it was realized that a further selection should be published in English, to contain excluded stories which Taylor described as 'most curious' and 'of great merit'. He had felt bound to suppress them, he wrote, 'in deference to the scrupulous fastidiousness of modern taste, especially in works likely to attract the attention of youth'. The fifty tales now printed in the Golden Cockerel selection are the cream of what we have called the Grimms' 'Other Tales', since none was included in their definitive German edition, nor in Taylor's classic English translation."
___DESCRIPTION: Full purple morocco, gilt vignette of a giant on front board, gilt vignette of a village with a castle on a hilltop in the distance on the rear board, top edge gilt, wood engravings by Gwenda Morgan (n. b., the prospectus and bibliography both state that there are eleven wood engravings, while the title page of the book states ten; we count nine full-page engravings, the publisher's device on the title page, and a headpiece that opens the first tale); Poliphilus type, mouldmade paper, octavo size (just over 9.25" tall), pagination: [1] 2-160; one of 75 copies specially bound in purple morocco, this number 35 (total edition of 500), signed by Gwenda Morgan in blue ink on the colophon page. With the prospectus, which mirrors the title page on the front page, page two has one of the full-page wood engravings, page three the opening of one of the tales with the decorative headpiece, page four tells about the book - the original cost for this book, bound in morocco, was $32.50.
___CONDITION: Volume is near fine, with a strong, square text block, solid hinges, perfectly straight corners with no rubbing, the interior is clean and bright, and it is entirely free of prior owner markings; there is some sunning to the spine to a mellow brown colour, some sunning also to the board edges, one extremely small area of light wear to the upper back corner, vintage bookseller's ticket to rear pastedown, else fine. The prospectus is near fine with some toning to the edges and very light overall edgewear.
___CITATION: Cock-A-Hoop 205.
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Price: $600.00