The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm Illustrated by Arthur Rackham [Grimm's Fairy Tales]

New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1912. First printing with 1912 at title page. Large 7 1/4" x 9 1/2" gift book design. Deep brown full cloth boards, mounted color plate, crisp dark green cover and spine titles, some spine, corner, edge wear, rub. Cover features Rackham plate from tale of Snowdrop: "The Dwarfs, when they came in the evening, found snowdrop lying on the ground." Pages near very good. Frontispiece color plate with original printed tissue guard: "The King could not contain himself with joy." Name printed at front endpaper: "Van Fleet." Bind good, square; hinges reinforced. Features one dozen subtly rich color plates by the renowned illustrator Arthur Rackham. Additionally, fifty-five full and partial-page illustrations by Rackham greet readers throughout. Solid Rackham first edition of this rarity w/good interior. Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty at the Edinburgh University Press. 325 pages. Insured post. Arthur Rackham was one of the great illustrators of the early 20th century, a period which is referred to as the "golden age" in British book design. His works were produced in both limited and mass market editions as there was a large market for ornately illustrated books before the First World War. Rackham used a unique style, thought to mix European and East Asian influences, that involved both pen and India Ink as well as watercolor. His work was displayed all over Europe - and received awards at International Exhibitions in Milan and Barcelona and Rackham would heavily influence many illustrators, especially those of children's books, who came after him. "Rackham's illustrations to Grimm, Hans Andersen and Poe show him at his most imaginative and observant of human nature, while his gnomes, fairies and gnarled anthropomorphic trees in Peter Pan or A Midsummer Night's Dream represent his more fantastic side. He was - and remains - a soloist in front of an orchestra, a player with the responsibility to interpret and add a personal lustre to great works with variations of infinite subtlety and grace.. First Edition Thus. Hard Cover. Good. Illus. by Rackham, Arthur. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" Tall.