Rip Van Winkle

First thus.  viii, 62pp, [2pp], with frontispiece and 50 further colour plates, all by Arthur Rachham.  Green publisher’s cloth boards with gilt blocked illustration and lettering on front panel, gilt lettering on spine.  All edges sprayed green.  Green endpapers.  All the illustrations are tipped in, full colour, mounted on deep green card, and all have captioned tissue guards, appearing after the text of the story. 8vo.  Cloth is a little worn, lightly rubbed and rounded on corners, small bump to lower leading corner.  Rubbed, rounded and beginning to fray at spine ends.  Very slightly sunned over spine and the occasional mild mark.  Bookplate on front paste down and previous owner’s carefully lettered name on front free endpaper (dated 1907). Half title, title page and tissue guards are moderately spotted; faint and occasional spotting on remaining pages.  

Rackham had a well established reputation for pend and ink fantasy illustrations but it was his full colour illustrations for this volume that propelled him into public consciousness.  Rip Van Winkle, published by William Heinemann in London and Doubleday & Page in the USA in 1905, was a turning point in book illustration, featuring colour-separated printing allowing more accurate reproduction of coloured arkwork.

This volume states Heinemann on the spine but Doubleday & Page are the first named publishers on the title page. Irving’s Rip Van Winkle had been published many times before the addition of Rackham’s illustrations, first being published in 1819.