Collection: Arthur Rackham

Arthur Rackham was one of the most influential and recognisable book illustrators of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Working at the height of the so-called Golden Age of Illustration, his imagery shaped how generations of readers visualised classic stories. ...

Rackham developed a style that was immediately distinctive: sinuous line work, expressive figures, and an imaginative natural world populated by gnarled trees, fairies, witches, and creatures drawn from myth and folklore.

He is best known for his illustrations for works such as Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Rip Van Winkle, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Ingoldsby Legends, and Undine.

Rackham’s ability to balance humour with darkness, and whimsy with unease, made him particularly well suited to fairy tales, myths, and fantastical literature. His illustrations often deepen the emotional atmosphere of a text, adding ambiguity, tension, and visual poetry.

This collection at Sancho’s Rare Books brings together books illustrated by and relating to Arthur Rackham, with a particular emphasis on first editions, early printings, and significant or desirable illustrated editions.

It includes original Edwardian and early twentieth-century publications, later high-quality reprints, and fine-press or commemorative editions that preserve the integrity of Rackham’s artwork. Publishers frequently represented include William Heinemann, J. M. Dent, George C. Harrap, Hodder & Stoughton, and The Folio Society.

Alongside the illustrated books themselves, the collection may also include reference works, exhibition catalogues, and critical studies exploring Rackham’s technique, influences, and lasting impact on book illustration, as well as signed letters and related ephemera.