Gordon Craig's Book of Penny Toys
Hackbridge, Surrey, London: Published at the Sign of the Rose, 1899. First Edition. 4to, unpag. in original cloth-backed pictorial boards. Covers heavily rubbed; spine label's printing all but entirely rubbed off; inner hinges partly sprung, still a sound, presentable copy. Item #207135
Craig's first book, of which 550 copies were printed (this one is numbered 210) about half of which Craig destroyed when he tired of the process of coloring them by hand. The present copy is fully hand-colored and is, furthermore, an inscribed presentation copy of the first order, linking two of the great figures in the performing arts of the emerging modernist movement: "To Isadora Duncan from Edward Craig, 1905." On the front pastedown is Isadora Duncan's Craig-designed and printed bookplate, also hand-colored. Craig and Duncan met in Berlin in 1905 and embarked on an intense and historic love-affair that lasted until 1907. In her autobiography, Duncan described her first encounter with Craig: "This was not a young man making love to a girl. This was the meeting of twin souls. The light covering of flesh was so transmuted with ecstasy that earthly passion became a heavenly embrace of white, fiery flame." And, later "It was my fate to inspire the great love of this genius; and it was my fate to endeavour to reconcile the continuing of my own career with his love. Impossible combination! After the first few weeks of wild, impassioned love-making, there began the waging of the fiercest battle that was ever known, between the genius of Gordon Craig and the inspirations of my art." Their tempestuous affair resulted in the birth of Duncan's first child, Deirdre (1906-1913). Although the conflict between their artistic egos proved irreconcilable, Craig and Duncan remained close. The Book of Penny Toys is a landmark of British illustration and has always been scarce. It is Craig's personal paean to the wooden toy, constructed out of verses and bold illustrations of many examples, and printed on a heavy paper ordinarily used for the manufacture of sugar bags for grocers. With the original printed prospectus laid in, 8 unpaginated leaves including another hand-colored illustration. Fletcher & Rood A1(a).
Price: $25,000.00