Catalogue Number: 03142

RRP: AU$200.00         Weight in grams:864 See Ordering Information.

Everyman

Austen, John

Illustrated by Austen, John

First Edition London: Chapman and Hall, 1925 Cloth Very Good/No Jacket 8vo 

Professionally rebound in cloth with the original front cover lettering attached. Illustrated endpapers.

This was the first appearance of these Austen illustrations. As impressionism and Art Nouveau were confronting and confusing the public, the "decadent" style of Aubrey Beardsley was finding its own audience in Europe and America. When John Austen (1886-1948) came to London in 1906 he was drawn to Beardsley"s work. The effect it had on him -- particularly the strength of line and form, and startling solid blacks -- was said to be overwhelming and he began to study art in earnest, and Beardsley"s art in particular. It wasn"t until 1921 that Austen"s first illustrations were published. His designs for Everyman are among the earliest colour explorations by him; Austen"s use of blue and gold is remarkable in that the gilt fills space while the blue helps define it or emphasizes its boundaries. Included are three medieval plays: "Everyman," "The Nativity" and "The Shepherds" Play." Austen"s illustrations are lush -- in some instances stunning -- with rich tones and fantastical line drawings." - Alan Horne, The Dictionary of 20th Century British Book Illustrators

Some minor spots on the preliminary pages.

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