A Little Tour of France [1900 First Illustrated Edition] [Thomas Watson Ball Binding Design] [Joseph Pennell 43 Plates]

James, Henry (1843-1916)

Edité par Houghton Mifflin and Company, Boston, 1900

HENRY JAMES' BELLE ÉPOQUE FRANCE IN WORD & IMAGE - A MASTERPIECE OF AMERICAN BOOK DESIGN FROM THE RIVERSIDE PRESS AT ITS HEIGHT. A masterwork of late-Victorian book design, this is the first edition of Henry James' French travelogue to feature the illustrations of Joseph Pennell. Pennell's 43 plates and 22 text illustrations perfectly complement James' elegant 'En Provence' sketches, creating a visually stunning record of 19th-century provincial France. KEY FEATURES +++ Visuals: Frontispiece and 43 plates plus an additional 22 illustrations integrated into the text. +++ Binding: Publisher's original black cloth; front board and spine elaborately stamped with titles and floral decorations in gilt and two additional colors. Binding design by Thomas Watson Ball. +++ Content: Recounts James' 1883-1884 tour of Tours, Bourges, Nantes, Toulouse, and Arles. +++ Imprint: Revised by James with a new preface for this expanded edition. +++ Specs: [7.875] inches tall / vii, 350 pages with index. Top edge gilt. CONDITION: Very Good -- Bindings are tight and square with exceptionally bright gilt on the black cloth. Text is clean with light, even toning. Moderate shelf handling wear to the corners and spine ends as expected. A superior copy of a title often found with dulled stamping. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE -- While Henry James's prose is the anchor, this 1900 edition is a triumph of the 'Book Beautiful' movement. The publisher, Houghton Mifflin, utilized their top talent for this release, commissioning Thomas Watson Ball-one of the premier book designers of the Gilded Age-to create the binding. Ball's work for the Riverside Press helped define the aesthetic of American publishing at the turn of the century. Bruce Rogers oversaw the typography Henry James' 'A Little Tour of France' began as a series of articles for 'The Atlantic Monthly' titled 'En Provence.' While the 1885 first edition was a standard text volume, this 1900 edition transformed the work into a 'gift book' standard, pairing James' sophisticated prose with Joseph Pennell's atmospheric etchings and drawings. Joseph Pennell was the hand-picked protégé of James Whistler, and his work here represents the 'Golden Age' of American illustration. This volume serves as a bridge between the literary realism of the 19th century and the travel-lust of the early 20th century. SUBJECTS: France Travel, Provence, Henry James, Joseph Pennell, American Illustration, 19th Century Travel, Tipped-in Plates, Travelogue, Illustrated Books, First Edition, Decorative Cloth. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE BAL 10570; 10642; Edel & Laurence A23b; Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, 'American Decorated Publishers Bindings' (Object ID b1921173_001). N° de réf. du vendeur 21571

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : A Little Tour of France [1900 First ...
Éditeur : Houghton Mifflin and Company, Boston
Date d'édition : 1900
Reliure : Hardcover
Illustrateur : Illustrations by Joseph Pennel
Etat : Very Good
Etat de la jaquette : No Jacket
Edition : First Illustrated Edition.