Description

[REFERENCE]. The Arthurian Legend: An Exhibition. [Manchester, England: John Rylands University Library of Manchester, 1985]. 8vo, viii 60pp. Grey paper wrappers pictorially printed in black with saddle-stitched stapled binding. Pictorial title page featuring art by Aubrey Beardsley and four full-page b&w illustrations from other sources. Slight wear to spine and upper corner, else a clean, bright copy.

First and only edition. A catalog of the exhibition held at the John Rylands University Library of Manchester in 1985 to coincide with the meeting of the International Arthurian Society. The library was chosen as it housed one of two known copies of the first edition of Sir Thomas Mallorys Le Morte dArthur, published by William Caxton in 1485 (500 years before this exhibition) the second earliest known appearance of the text besides The Winchester Manuscript which was discovered in 1934. This catalog features a wide variety of rare and historically important pieces related to the Arthurian legend, and is a wonderful reference work for any collector of Arthuriana.