Saint Joan

First Edition of Bernard Shaw's "Saint Joan" with Illustrations by Charles Ricketts

SHAW, [George ]Bernard. Saint Joan. A Chronicle Play in Six Scenes and an Epilogue. By Bernard Shaw. With Sketches by C. Ricketts. London: Constable and Co., 1924.

First illustrated edition (first published 25 June 1924 without illustrations). Limited to 750 copies on Batchelor's handmade paper. Large folio (15 9/16 x 11 1/16 inches; 395 x 281 mm.). [2], v, [1], 182, [1], [1, printer's imprint] pp. Sixteen mounted plates (twelve in color). Each plate with a caption page preceding it. The four black and white plates are of stage settings.

Original quarter linen over white paper boards printed in blue with a repetitive design of arms. Paper label on front cover printed in gold, black, and dark blue. Paper spine label printed in gold. Top edge gilt, others uncut. A minimal amount of rubbing to the lower edge of the book. An exceptional copy. In the original dust jacket printed in blue with a design by Ricketts on the front panel (minimal chipping to top of jacket spine).

"An Edition de Luxe, with sixteen designs in colour and monochrome by Charles Ricketts mounted on text leaves, was issued by Constable on 2 October 1924, limited to 750 copies. £5.5.0. This was the first illustrated edition of one of Shaw's works; it failed to satisfy him. It was, he informed Archibald Henderson on 3 March 1946 in an inscription in a copy of the volume, �a handsome object; but it is too big for a book: its size makes it unreadable. The pictures were designed as theatre costumes and not as book illustrations. A reduction in size would have spoilt them�It was impossible to reconcile the two incompatibles. The result was a monster'" (Laurence).

Capelleveen B38. Laurence A170c.

Price: $0

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