The King of the Golden River (Signed. Numbered, Limited Edition.)
East Aurora, Erie County, New York: Roycrofters, 1900. Julia Hawthorne (Illuminator). Numbered, Limited Edition. Softcover. Signed by the publisher and founder of Roycrofters, Elbert Hubbard, and artist illuminator Julia Hawthorne on the limited edition page at the front. Of this edition there were printed and specially illumined by hand 350 copies, of which this is hand-numbered 39. Rebacked and bound in milk-chocolate-brown limp leather with a dark brown leather label stamped in gilt lettering on the cover. Gilt top edge. Deckled foredge and foot. Hand illuminated illustrations and initials. Frontispiece is a black and white portrait of author John Ruskin affixed to the leaf verso the title page. Title page is ornamented and illumined. Textblock is large print in black and red. A lovely hand illumined illustration for Roycroft and Elbert Hubbard on the last page. 75 pp.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER: "Elbert Green Hubbard (1856-1915) was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. Raised in Hudson, Illinois, he had early success as a traveling salesman for the Larkin Soap Company. Hubbard is known best as the founder of the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, an influential exponent of the Arts and Crafts movement. [...] Hubbard described himself as an anarchist and a socialist. He believed in social, economic, domestic, political, mental and spiritual freedom. In "A Message to Garcia and Thirteen Other Things" (1901), Hubbard explained his Credo by writing 'I believe John Ruskin, William Morris, Henry Thoreau, Walt Whitman and Leo Tolstoy to be Prophets of God, and they should rank in mental reach and spiritual insight with Elijah, Hosea, Ezekiel and Isaiah.'" (Wikipedia). Elbert Hubbard and his wife, Alice, died on May 7, 1915 onboard the RMS Lusitania, after it was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-20.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & THIS WORK: "John Ruskin (1819-1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art historian, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and political economy. [...] During a six-week break at Leamington Spa to undergo Dr Jephson's (1798-1878) celebrated salt-water cure, Ruskin wrote his only work of fiction, the fable "The King of the Golden River", a work of Christian sacrificial morality and charity, it is set in the Alpine landscape Ruskin loved and knew so well. It remains the most translated of all his works. [...] Ruskin's influence reached across the world. Tolstoy described him as "one of the most remarkable men not only of England and of our generation, but of all countries and times" and quoted extensively from him, rendering his ideas into Russian. Proust not only admired Ruskin but helped translate his works into French. Gandhi wrote of the "magic spell" cast on him by Unto This Last and paraphrased the work in Gujarati, calling it Sarvodaya, "The Advancement of All." (Wikipedia).
CONDITION: Very good+, rebacked spine and binding shows wear, particularly along the foredge and corners, but is in lovely condition as these limp leather covers are often found in a much more deteriorated state. This copy has been beautifully preserved. Leaves have moderately but evenly toned with only occasional discoloration spots, predominantly within the endpapers. Unmarked except for Hubbard and Hawthorne's signatures. Illuminated illustrations are lovely. A very nice, unique copy. Full refund if not satisfied. Very Good +.
7.75" tall x 5.75" wide x 0.5" thick.
Item #075257
Price: $325.00