Arthur Rackham PETER PAN, Art Nouveau, 1912 UK, HUGE

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Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

by

J.M. Barrie



Illustrated by

Arthur Rackham



‘New’, enlarged edition,

with artwork not in 1906 book

*Including the scarce illustrated endpapers*



Published by

Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, London
[1912]

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‘New’ edition of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, from The Little White Bird by J.M. Barrie, illustrated by Arthur Rackham and published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, London in 1912 (undated). Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty at the Edinburgh University Press.

Hardback, green cloth boards with gilt lettering and decorations to front and spine, illustrated endpapers, 50 tipped-in colour plates with captioned tissue guards and cream-coloured mounts with tan borders, 7 b/w plates, 13 small line drawings, map, illustrated title page, 126 pages. Approximate size 11.1 x 8.6 inches (28.1 x 22 cm).

Arthur Rackham’s magnificent Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, first published in 1906, established his reputation as an artist and is today widely regarded as one of the high points of the Golden Age of book illustration. A truly epic production, the book featured fifty colour plates, printed to the most exacting standards and including some of Rackham’s most famous images.

In 1912, Hodder and Stoughton issued a new, enlarged edition of the book, now often referred to as the ‘best’ edition. For this larger version, Rackham prepared a delightful new colour illustration for use as the frontispiece, seventeen new line drawings (including seven full page), plus new title-page and endpaper designs. In contrast with the 1906 production, where all the plates had been gathered together at the back of the book, the plates were now interspersed throughout the text, to enhance the reader’s enjoyment. The dimensions of the book were increased by about an inch, both in height and width. Finally, to complete the transformation of Rackham’s masterpiece, a beautiful new cover design was introduced, featuring goblins, birds and flowers: altogether a wonderfully fresh take on the 1906 edition.

Note: The endpaper illustrations identify this as a first or very early issue of the 1912 edition (for some reason, later reprints of the book were issued with plain endpapers). Copies with the illustrated endpapers are the most sought after.

Book complete and intact, with no owner inscriptions. All 50 colour plates in very good condition, without creasing or tears. Elsewhere some small marks and smudges, five nicks, one short closed tear, creasing/bumping to some tips and edges, a little old brown glue staining to gutter behind title page, one page almost detached, one or two gatherings with minor separation, one larger crack. Seven mounts re-glued by previous owner: edges with darkening, creasing, wear, nicks, some small marks and stains; most with old brown glue staining along gutters, two standing a little proud. One mount newly re-glued, with small chip to lower corner plus a little edge wear. One or two mounts and plates loosening slightly. Around ten tissue guards with creasing, one with two tiny holes, four with short closed tears, one with corner torn off. Free endpapers with pale offsetting, one small chip; pastedowns with crinkling; rear free endpaper previously pulling away from text block (now discreetly re-glued), with trace of bookseller’s penciled notes to reverse. Edges of page block with scuffing, top with darkening; some pages standing a little proud. Slight odour (not musty smell), as common with some older bindings. Binding very shaken, front board somewhat loose. Boards and spine as shown, including wear to extremities plus cloth worn through in places.

Very collectable despite flaws. One of several illustrated books I am listing this week.

Please see scans for details.

To see all my auctions, please click here to view on eBay’s US site (with prices in dollars), or here to view on eBay’s UK site (with bid amounts displayed both in UK and US currency).

For shipping costs and payment details, please scroll down to foot of listing, below scans.
Note especially that my items are located in the UK,
and that the $4 shipping option for US bidders is an incorrect amount,
automatically set by eBay for US-based sellers (details below).

Any queries please email me before end of auction.

Please note that ongoing industrial action by UK postal workers
may delay delivery of this item.

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Below: two of the most damaged mounts, with edge wear
and old glue staining along gutter.

Below: detail from rear endpapers,
enhanced to show delicate design.

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Shipping from UK:
Please note that my items are located in the UK. All goods are securely packed, with multiple purchases combined where possible. Any customs charges are the responsibility of the buyer.

Shipping costs (estimated):
This is a very heavy book: over 2 kg packed weight!
Within UK: £9.15 Special Delivery (if I can manage to get the packed weight below 2 kg), or £7.56 by Standard Parcels (plus enhanced compensation at cost).
Europe: US $20.15 standard air mail.
All other countries, including US: US $40.80 standard air mail, or $21.60 surface mail (very slow!).
For all non-UK countries, priority mail is an extra £3.70, where required. This is via Royal Mail’s International Signed-For service. Airsure at £4.50 is also available for some countries, with the benefit of full tracking. Signed-For is always recommended for high-value items, but usually optional (I do sometimes make exceptions, particularly for countries such as Italy or Poland, where the postal service is known to be unreliable). Please note that these prices are estimates only, and may vary slightly up or down according to final packed weight. Note also that my price includes a small charge of 50p towards the cost of packing and materials.
Please note that due to the weight of this book I will not be able to ship to Canada by Royal Mail, unless I can get the weight below 2 kg (a very tight squeeze; it may not be possible).

$4 shipping option (US bidders):
Athough I am located in the UK, I list most of my items on eBay’s US site, for greater visibility. Unfortunately this automatically requires me to offer a $4 shipping option to US bidders, whatever the weight of the item. There is sadly no way I can send any book to the States for $4, even by surface mail! In order to abide by eBay rules I will however honour the $4 shipping option where necessary, using surface mail only.
Many apologies for any confusion, and thank you for your understanding.

Payment:
I will send an invoice at the end of the auction; please do not go to checkout before I have done so.
UK buyers: invoices will be in GB pounds sterling, using eBay’s own rate of exchange at close of auction (around 1.65 US dollars to 1 GB pound sterling at time of listing); payments are accepted by cheque, postal order, bank transfer or PayPal.
All other buyers, including US: payments are accepted via PayPal, in dollars or pounds sterling. I can also accept cheques in GB pounds sterling drawn on a UK bank account, or bank transfers in certain cases.
I will do my best to accommodate other payment methods, but please email me first to make sure.