Mother Goose

Description

RACKHAM, Arthur. Mother Goose. The Old Nursery Rhymes. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. London: William Heinemann [1913]. 4to, xii 160pp. White cloth pictorially stamped in gilt. 13 color plates and numerous b&w illustrations. Spine ends and lower front corner minutely rubbed, spine a bit sunned, front endpapers a tad foxed, first sheet a bit discolored, else a clean, bright copy. Signed and numbered by the artist, Arthur Rackham!

First edition, deluxe issue being #772 of 1130 copies. Rackham, one of the most celebrated painters of the British Golden Age of Illustration, crafted striking images for this collection of nursery rhymes ranging from such classics as Baa, Baa, Black Sheep, and Jack and Jill to the more obscure. The artists 13 color plates both dark and humorous combine with his over 80 whimsical line drawings to wonderfully capture the absurdity and morality of these classic verses.