Arthur Rackham Finely Illustrated Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream

Arthur Rackham

Book

[Shakespeare][Art Nouveau] Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1908) a beautifully illustrated copy by Arthur Rackham, emblematic of Edwardian Art Nouveau aesthetics. Issued in 1908, this edition reflects the Edwardian fascination with folklore and the supernatural. This particular comedy was especially beloved amid the cultural revival of fairy lore in England and America in the late 19th and early 20th century. Rackham’s work envisioned the enchanted forest of Athens, and fairy characters like Puck, Titania, and Oberon in ways that resonated with contemporary stage productions and the decorative Art Nouveau style at the height of its popularity.

Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night’s Dream. New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1908. First U.S. edition. Rackham’s forty mounted color plates, integrated throughout the text, represent a landmark achievement of the Golden Age of Illustration. His attenuated figures, intricate pen work, and muted, atmospheric palette aligned Shakespeare’s fairy world with Edwardian tastes for Art Nouveau styles. The illustrations are full of whimsy and ethereal beauty, reflecting a contemporary interest in magical and supernatural realms. Issued in quarto format and conceived as an aesthetic object, the volume participates in a publishing movement that elevated illustrated Shakespeare editions into collectible art books, reinforcing the Bard’s place within both popular and elite cultural spheres.

Quarto. 134 pages with forty full-page mounted color plates. Publisher’s green cloth backstrip over patterned boards, gilt stamping. Present in original box with glassine. Cloth lightly sunned; occasional foxing; glassine worn and torn with losses; box worn and soiled with splitting at joints. Book near fine; box and glassine fair. Rackham’s interpretation of Shakespeare became foundational for twentieth-century visual and theatrical adaptations, and this 1908 American issue documents the transatlantic dissemination of Edwardian illustration at its height.

Item #15836

Price: $800.00