Ian Ehling
Head of Department
Lot 59
GOODEN, STEPHEN. 1892-1955. AESOP. C.620-564 B.C.E. Aesop's Fables. London: George G. Harrap and Co., 1936.
11 December 2020, 10:00 EST
New YorkSold for US$10,200 inc. premium
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GOODEN, STEPHEN. 1892-1955.
AESOP. C.620-564 B.C.E. Aesop's Fables. London: George G. Harrap and Co., 1936.
4to. 201 historiated initials, all hand-colored by a former owner, engraved title page and 11 engraved illustrations by Stephen Gooden, four of these partially hand-colored. Publisher's russet crushed morocco designed by the artist and executed by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, covers gilt with strapwork frame featuring grape clusters in the corners and a prancing fox in the center, raised bands flanked by gilt rules, spine panels with a central gilt grape cluster, gilt titling, gilt-ruled turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt on the rough, in brown textured cloth box with matching slipcase. Leather with minor naturally occurring variations in color, one plate with very faint dampstain, a handful of tiny marginal smudges of stray coloring.
LIMITED EDITION, LUXURY VERSION, number 5 of 8 copies on vellum, signed by the artist, from a total print run of 533. Stephen Gooden's "magnum opus," one of the best illustrated versions of Aesop ever printed, and one of the finest illustrated books of the 20th century. Translated by Sir Robert L'Estrange, it includes L'Estrange's preface to the whole collection, his reflections on each fable reprinted here, and "The Life of Aesop." Vellum copies of this work are seldom seen on the market. Campbell Dodgson, pp 104-15.
4to. 201 historiated initials, all hand-colored by a former owner, engraved title page and 11 engraved illustrations by Stephen Gooden, four of these partially hand-colored. Publisher's russet crushed morocco designed by the artist and executed by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, covers gilt with strapwork frame featuring grape clusters in the corners and a prancing fox in the center, raised bands flanked by gilt rules, spine panels with a central gilt grape cluster, gilt titling, gilt-ruled turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt on the rough, in brown textured cloth box with matching slipcase. Leather with minor naturally occurring variations in color, one plate with very faint dampstain, a handful of tiny marginal smudges of stray coloring.
LIMITED EDITION, LUXURY VERSION, number 5 of 8 copies on vellum, signed by the artist, from a total print run of 533. Stephen Gooden's "magnum opus," one of the best illustrated versions of Aesop ever printed, and one of the finest illustrated books of the 20th century. Translated by Sir Robert L'Estrange, it includes L'Estrange's preface to the whole collection, his reflections on each fable reprinted here, and "The Life of Aesop." Vellum copies of this work are seldom seen on the market. Campbell Dodgson, pp 104-15.