Stockton, Frank L.; Bachinski, Walter (Artist)

The Lady, or the Tiger? [bound tête-bêche with] The Discourager of Hesitancy

[Vancouver, B.C.]: HM [Heavenly Monkey], 2022. Bachinski, Walter. Limited Edition. Hardcover. One of 30 copies, octavo size, the two stories with 26 total pp., signed by Walter Bachinsky, with a printed version of the HM prospectus. Fine. Item #23022401

Heavenly Monkey includes the tag line on their web site of "Publisher of elusive books". Truer words were never spoken, for the exceptionally high quality of the Heavenly Monkey publications, in every aspect, has gained for Rollin Milroy an enthusiastic and devoted following, with his books extremely difficult to obtain if one is not fortunate enough to be on the subscriber list.

This recent publication includes two short stories by Frank L. Stockton (1834-1902), who went against the wishes of his father (to study medicine) and instead became a wood engraver, working for "Hearth and Home" and subsequently for "St. Nicholas Magazine" as assistant editor. One of these two stores, "The Lady, or the Tiger" (originally published in 1882), is his most famous, and met with resounding success. "[A] fantasy story that resembles a fairy tale...it is considered more whimsical and open-ended than most fairy tales" (n.b., info from the online Encyclopedia Britannica, quote from web site Encyclopedia). Per the Heavenly Monkey prospectus, "The Lady, or the Tiger?", with its ambiguous ending, "left readers pestering [Stockton] to know what happened..." resulting in "The Discourager of Hesitancy".

This publication has, as crowning jewels, artwork by Walter Bachinski (Shanty Bay Press): a six-colour frontispiece for both stories in pochoir and an additional twelve illustrations printed in a variety of colours throughout.

___DESCRIPTION: Bound in quarter gold cloth with black printed paper over boards, painted endpapers of lime and gold, the two frontispieces coloured via pochoir by Bachinsky, the additional illustrations in various colours on each page; Weiss and American Uncial types, printed with a handpress on dampened Barcham Green Canterbury paper, octavo size, pagination: "Lady", [i-ii] [1-2] 3-10 [1, colophon]; "Discourager", [i-ii] [1-2] 3-9 (note: pp. 5 and 7 were mis-bound, so the reader shall need to flip back and forth at this point) [1, blank] [1, colophon, signed here by Walter Bachinski], this no. 10 of only 30 copies. Housed in the publisher's slipcase of stury cardboard covered with matching black paper, gold paper spine label with both titles printed in black.

___CONDITION: Fine, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and entirely free of prior owner markings; we acquired this directly from the publisher, it is as new, as is the slipcase.

___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.

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Price: $1,750.00