The Golden Age Illustrated by Maxfield Parrish

London and New York: John Lane: The Bodley Head , 1900. 1900 at title page. Dark maroon full-cloth boards, gilt cover and spine titles, design, light shelf wear, bow. Rolling hills leading to castle with deep green shrubs adorn the cover. Thick deckled pages near fine. Monochromatic pictorial endpapers of knight on horseback and castle upon hills in b.g. Navy top-stain. Charmingly illustrated by Maxfield Parrish with eighteen photogravures with captioned tissue guards. Uniquely two full-page designs at frontispiece and title page, each with their own captioned guard. Bind fine; hinges intact. Very good example of fine book craftsmanship. Publisher's note: "The publication of this new edition of 'The Golden Age,' the favourite amongst Mr. Kenneth Grahame's favoured books, with the illustrations by Mr. Maxfield Parrish reproduced in photgravure, was accomplished through the kindness of the various owners, who gave access to the oroginals in their respective collections." From Kenneth Grahame, author of "The Wind in the Willows," emanates this enchanting set of tales that map the imaginative landscape of childhood. A lovely blend of the reminiscences of Grahame's own childhood experiences framed within the motif of ancient Greek gods. Theses adventures and elaborate imaginings are charming and a classic Edwardian evocation. Grahame names adults "Olympians," as in serious and remote, compared to the fantastic world of childhood. The tales are long on Grahame's wonderful writing and an elegiac tribute to the natural beauty of warm summer days, stolen fruit, escapades on farmers' rowboats, and the innocence of youth. Contents: "Prologue: The Olympians; A Holiday; A White-Washed Uncle; Alarums and Excursions; The Finding of the Princess; Sawdust and Sin; 'Young Adam Cupid'; The Burglers; A Harvesting; Snowbound; What They Talked About; The Argonauts; The Roman Road; The Secret Drawer; 'Exit Tyrannus'; The Blue Room; A Falling Out; and, 'Lusisti Satis'." 252 pages. Insured post.. First Edition Thus. Hard Cover. Very Good. Illus. by Parrish, Maxfield . 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" Tall.