A House of Pomegranates -
Oscar Wilde, Charles Ricketts & C. H. Shannon (illustrators)
1891 - James R. Osgood, London - First Edition, Limited to 1, 000 copies
A suitably bound first edition of Oscar Wilde’s second collection of fabulous fairy tales: The Young King, The Birthday of the Infanta, The Fisherman and His Soul, and The Star-Child.
Sumptuously art-nouveau, with designs and illustrations by Charles Ricketts and his lifetime partner Charles Shannon. The four tinted plates by Shannon, which were printed separately in Paris, faded due to the application of soft flannel to each copy by the printer {see below for more on this]. With regard to the two illustrators, Shannon (1863-1937) and Ricketts (1866-1931) were lifetime partners, met as teenagers and cohabited in Chelsea for over 50 years until Ricketts died. Shannon had a more conventional upbringing than Ricketts and his personality was more reserved. Oscar Wilde likened him to a marigold to Ricketts's orchid.
The four plates by Shannon ‘were printed in Paris by some 'improved' process. After the book was finished and bound it was noticed that a dusty deposit had formed on each plate, probably owing to some chemical impurity either in the printer's ink or in the chalky paper used. To take off this deposit each plate was rubbed with soft flannel, which removed the surface and left the reproductions faint and in some cases almost obliterated.’ [Mason].
Reference: Mason, Bibliography of Oscar Wilde, 347, 364. National Portrait Gallery.
Elegantly bound in later full green calf, spine with raised bands rulde lettered and decorated in gilt, burgundy morocco label lettered in gilt, single gilt filet borders to boards, top edge trimmed others untrimmed, original illustrated endpapers, bound in to the front, and illustrated cloth cover and spine bound in at the rear. Condition: Near fine, gentle toning to front endpapers, one or two small spots to outer edges of first and last few pages, surface rubbing and light scratches to calf boards. Ref: 112688 Price: HK$ 8,000
Sumptuously art-nouveau, with designs and illustrations by Charles Ricketts and his lifetime partner Charles Shannon. The four tinted plates by Shannon, which were printed separately in Paris, faded due to the application of soft flannel to each copy by the printer {see below for more on this]. With regard to the two illustrators, Shannon (1863-1937) and Ricketts (1866-1931) were lifetime partners, met as teenagers and cohabited in Chelsea for over 50 years until Ricketts died. Shannon had a more conventional upbringing than Ricketts and his personality was more reserved. Oscar Wilde likened him to a marigold to Ricketts's orchid.
The four plates by Shannon ‘were printed in Paris by some 'improved' process. After the book was finished and bound it was noticed that a dusty deposit had formed on each plate, probably owing to some chemical impurity either in the printer's ink or in the chalky paper used. To take off this deposit each plate was rubbed with soft flannel, which removed the surface and left the reproductions faint and in some cases almost obliterated.’ [Mason].
Reference: Mason, Bibliography of Oscar Wilde, 347, 364. National Portrait Gallery.
Elegantly bound in later full green calf, spine with raised bands rulde lettered and decorated in gilt, burgundy morocco label lettered in gilt, single gilt filet borders to boards, top edge trimmed others untrimmed, original illustrated endpapers, bound in to the front, and illustrated cloth cover and spine bound in at the rear. Condition: Near fine, gentle toning to front endpapers, one or two small spots to outer edges of first and last few pages, surface rubbing and light scratches to calf boards. Ref: 112688 Price: HK$ 8,000