The Happy Prince, and Other Tales - Oscar Wilde, Walter Crane and Jacomb Hood (illustrators) 1888 - David Nutt, London - First Edition, One of 1, 000 copies Rare first edition of Oscar Wilde’s classic collection of children’s tales - The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Selfish Giant, The Devoted Friend and The Remarkable Rocket.

A superior example of the first edition in the publisher’s delicate decorated Japanese vellum boards, and elegantly illustrated with three plates by Walter Crane and with head and tail pieces by Jacomb Hood.

Smartly housed in a bespoke clamshell case of half tan morocco over marbled boards, brown morocco label lettered in gilt.
  Walter Crane (1845–1915) was an English artist and book illustrator. He is considered, along with Randolph Caldecott and Kate Greenaway, one of the strongest contributors to the child's nursery motif that the genre of English children's illustrated literature would exhibit in its developmental stages in the latter 19th century.

Small quarto (book size 22.3x17.1cm), pp. [8] 116 [4]. In publisher’s Japanese vellum, spine lettered in black, upper board decoratively lettered in red and with black vignette by Jacomb Hood, all edges untrimmed.
  Condition: Near fine, without restoration or repair. Gentle toning to boards slightly heavier to spine which also has minor loss to the head, offsetting to free endpapers, generally nice and clean throughout, one or two gatherings over opened, small 3cm patch of toning to pages 104 and 105 not affecting text (from small piece of loose paper). In fine clamshell case.   Ref: 111104   Price: HK$ 50,000