The Beginning of the World: Twenty-Five Pictures by Edward Burne-Jones (Longmans, Green & Co., 1902).
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1Lukas1990
The Beginning of the World: Twenty-Five Pictures by Edward Burne-Jones (London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1902). 1st Edition, 4to (9¾ - 12" tall), 23 pages. Printed on hand-made paper at Chiswick Press.
The Beginning of the World is a series of designs to illustrate the first chapters of Genesis, and were intended to have been part of Kelmscott Press Biblia Innocentium. Burne-Jones was originally to have designed 200 or so wood-engravings for this edition, however only 25 were ever completed and none appeared until 1902 when his widow Georgiana and assistant Stephen Catterson-Smith prepared them for publishing.
I was looking for a copy in acceptable condition for quite some time. I have never seen a copy in better than Very Good condition. Mine is probably no better than VG but it is the best copy I've seen and the price was good. As a bonus there's a beautiful and probably early bookplate by Eric Gill.
"The designs in this book were made for an illustrated edition of Mr. Mackail's 'Biblia Innocentium' which was to have been produced by the Kelmscott Press and to have contained upwards of two hundred pictures. Many of these were begun, but none quite finished. The twenty-five designs here given were so far carried out that, with the help of Mr. Catterson-Smith, it has been possible to complete and reproduce them. It was he who, under my husband’s own eye, translated almost all the designs for the Kelmscott Chaucer from pencil into ink before they were engraved, and in so doing he learnt most intimately the manner and meaning of the artist. Accordingly, the conventions agreed upon for certain parts of the Chaucer drawings – as in the sky, trees, and flowers – have been used here, and the colour tradition of black and white then taught has been followed. Where the pictures were finished, they have been exactly reproduced, and where, as in some parts, little more than a suggestion was given, the skill and sympathy of the pupil have understood it and made it visible to others. Any resulting incompletion of form and detail has been accepted as inevitable, but the spirit of the whole is rendered with extraordinary fidelity.’ -- introduction by Georgiana Burne-Jones.
The Beginning of the World is a series of designs to illustrate the first chapters of Genesis, and were intended to have been part of Kelmscott Press Biblia Innocentium. Burne-Jones was originally to have designed 200 or so wood-engravings for this edition, however only 25 were ever completed and none appeared until 1902 when his widow Georgiana and assistant Stephen Catterson-Smith prepared them for publishing.
I was looking for a copy in acceptable condition for quite some time. I have never seen a copy in better than Very Good condition. Mine is probably no better than VG but it is the best copy I've seen and the price was good. As a bonus there's a beautiful and probably early bookplate by Eric Gill.
"The designs in this book were made for an illustrated edition of Mr. Mackail's 'Biblia Innocentium' which was to have been produced by the Kelmscott Press and to have contained upwards of two hundred pictures. Many of these were begun, but none quite finished. The twenty-five designs here given were so far carried out that, with the help of Mr. Catterson-Smith, it has been possible to complete and reproduce them. It was he who, under my husband’s own eye, translated almost all the designs for the Kelmscott Chaucer from pencil into ink before they were engraved, and in so doing he learnt most intimately the manner and meaning of the artist. Accordingly, the conventions agreed upon for certain parts of the Chaucer drawings – as in the sky, trees, and flowers – have been used here, and the colour tradition of black and white then taught has been followed. Where the pictures were finished, they have been exactly reproduced, and where, as in some parts, little more than a suggestion was given, the skill and sympathy of the pupil have understood it and made it visible to others. Any resulting incompletion of form and detail has been accepted as inevitable, but the spirit of the whole is rendered with extraordinary fidelity.’ -- introduction by Georgiana Burne-Jones.
2SuttonHooPress
Spectacular
4Lukas1990
>3 dlphcoracl: Is that the same book? Rebound?
5SebRinelli
>1 Lukas1990: oh, these are stunning woodcuts paired with very nice typesetting. Thanks for sharing!
6dlphcoracl
>4 Lukas1990:
It contains the same suite of twenty-five wood engravings by Edward Burne-Jones, presented differently.
Colophon: " One hundred and eighty-five copies of this book were printed on hand-made paper, by D.B. Updike, at the
Merrymount Press, Boston, in the month of december, 1903. This is Number ."
The text is presented bilingual with original Latin on the verso page and English translation on the recto page. The wood engravings are not massed together. Instead, they are presented individually in the top portion of each text page, both Latin and English text pages. In this manner, the wood engravings are integrated more fully and effectively with the text.
It contains the same suite of twenty-five wood engravings by Edward Burne-Jones, presented differently.
Colophon: " One hundred and eighty-five copies of this book were printed on hand-made paper, by D.B. Updike, at the
Merrymount Press, Boston, in the month of december, 1903. This is Number ."
The text is presented bilingual with original Latin on the verso page and English translation on the recto page. The wood engravings are not massed together. Instead, they are presented individually in the top portion of each text page, both Latin and English text pages. In this manner, the wood engravings are integrated more fully and effectively with the text.
7Lukas1990
>6 dlphcoracl: Interesting variation! And, of course, nice condition.
8Lukas1990
>6 dlphcoracl: The book can be viewed online:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044033035080&seq=39
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044033035080&seq=39
9DenimDan
>3 dlphcoracl: and >6 dlphcoracl: Those are really beautiful wood engravings! I had never seen the Merrymount one, though I remember it was discussed in an old article about Updike. Thanks for the pics/ links
10Glacierman
>8 Lukas1990: A note about the publisher, Charles E. Goodspeed:
Charles Eliot Goodspeed (1867-1950) was a well-known and respected antiquarian bookseller of Boston, MA. He founded Goodspeed's Book Shop on 1 Dec 1898 in Boston, of course, and focused on Americana. Goodspeed's was especially noted for their detailed and informative magazine/catalogues, The Month at Goodspeed's. After Charles' death, his son George took over the reins until he closed the shop in 1995. The senior Goodspeed published an autobiography in 1937, Yankee Bookseller which has become a classic of the genre.
He also published several books as Charles E. Goodspeed & Co., among which was the tome discussed here. Many of his books were printed by D. B. Updike at the Merrymount Press.
Mr. Goodspeed also wrote and published two books on fishing, Angling in America (Boston, 1939 and reprinted) and A Treasury of Fishing Stories (NY, 1945, reprinted).
Charles Eliot Goodspeed (1867-1950) was a well-known and respected antiquarian bookseller of Boston, MA. He founded Goodspeed's Book Shop on 1 Dec 1898 in Boston, of course, and focused on Americana. Goodspeed's was especially noted for their detailed and informative magazine/catalogues, The Month at Goodspeed's. After Charles' death, his son George took over the reins until he closed the shop in 1995. The senior Goodspeed published an autobiography in 1937, Yankee Bookseller which has become a classic of the genre.
He also published several books as Charles E. Goodspeed & Co., among which was the tome discussed here. Many of his books were printed by D. B. Updike at the Merrymount Press.
Mr. Goodspeed also wrote and published two books on fishing, Angling in America (Boston, 1939 and reprinted) and A Treasury of Fishing Stories (NY, 1945, reprinted).
