Peer Gynt: A Dramatic Poem Illustrated by Arthur Rackham

Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co., 1936. Stated at copyright page: "Printed in Great Britain" Ruddy orange full-cloth boards, gilt cover and spine titles, design, light shelf wear, discoloration, bow. Features bright stylized titles and two whimsically impish troll creatures; Harrap in gilt at spine heel. Pages near fine, no writing. Endpapers with golden silhouette collage of magical fairies and nefarious trolls. Earthy reddish-brown top-stain. Frontispiece plate of "Peer Before the King of the Trolls. Bind fine; hinges intact. Features one dozen smooth color plates; each with captioned tissue guard. In addition, profusely illustrated with headers, tailpieces, partial-page vignettes throughout. Rare in original wrap-around pictorial dust wrapper, moderate edge wear, rub, mended with acid-free and other adhesive to back wrapper; unclipped 4.00, protected in new clear sleeve. Front panel features frontispiece image rendered in gold, white, grey, and black of Peer before the King of Trolls wrappring around to spine and back panel with various hopping characters including bull, swine, and trolls. Overall design around to spine and back panel is 10" x 17". Front flap features summary of Rackham edition; back flap features advert for Poe's Tales of Mystery illustrated by A. R. Rare very good first edition in attractive original dust jacket. Opening scene: "The action, which begins in the early years of the ninteenth century and ends somewhere about 1867, takes place partly in the Gudbrandsdal and on the surrounding mountain-tops, partly on the coast of Morocco, in the Sahara Desert, in the Cairo Lunatic Asylum, at sea, etc." Among the masterpieces of world literature, this early verse drama by the celebrated Norwegian playwright humorously yet profoundly explores the virtues, vices, and follies common to all humanity — as represented in the person of Peer Gynt, a charming but irresponsible young peasant. Based on Norwegian folklore and Ibsen’s own imaginative inventions, the play relates the roguish life of the world-wandering Peer, who finds wealth and fame - but never happiness - redeemed by love in the end. As the play opens the young farmer attends a wedding and meets Solveig, the woman who is eventually to be his salvation. However, the rascally Peer then kidnaps the bride and later abandons her in the wilderness. This dismal performance is followed by adventures in many lands. After these soul-chilling exploits, an old and embittered Peer returns to Norway, eventually finding solace in the arms of the faithful Solveig. Imbued with poetic mysticism and romanticism, in Peer we find a rebellious character in search of an ultimate truth that always seems just out of reach. In this sense Peer can be seen as an alter ego of Ibsen himself, whose lifelong search for artistic and moral certainties resulted in the great later plays Hedda Gabler, The Wild Duck, An Enemy of the People, etc. From colophon: "This edition is from the translation of R. Farquharson Sharp, and is published by arrangement with Messrs. J. M. Dent and Sons, Ltd. The book was printed in Edinburgh - the text in Bembo type by Messrs. R & R Clark, Limited, and the colour plates by Messrs. McLagan & Cumming." 256 pages. Insured post.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good/Good. Illus. by Rackham, Arthur. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.