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MOORE, Clement C.

The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas

London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1931

Illustrated by RACKHAM, Arthur

Regular price £1,150.00
Regular price Sale price £1,150.00
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MOORE, Clement C. The Night Before Christmas. First Arthur Rackham trade edition. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1931. 

8vo, 35 numbered pages. Publisher's original pictorial wrappers illustrated in red, green and purple, with matching design on the unclipped (5/ net) dustwrapper, pictorial end-papers illustrated with red silhouette drawings. Four beautiful full-page illustrations in colour and seventeen drawings in black and white.

This copy is a presentation copy, which has an extra leaf bound in before the FFEP, and is thought to be commissioned directly from the publishers, as it is lettered in the same font as the book's titles and decorated with Rackham's holly design, all printed in the same red as the endpapers. The leaf is tipped in to the front of the book (before the FFEP), and the text reads, "A Merry Christmas from Mr. and Mrs. John Barry Ryan, Christmas 1931". Mr and Mrs John Barry Ryan were art lovers who built a large collection of art, and this looks to have been a very specially commissioned Christmas gift.

An uncommon book, let alone as a presentation copy, presenting in very good condition, with extremities slightly nibbled and creased, and the dustwrapper slightly grubby and tanned, with extremities rubbed and minimal loss to spine tips, a closed 2-inch tear to rear panel, a few small marks and a faded inscription to upper quadrant of front panel. Else a clean and uninscribed copy.

[together with]

A printed card sheet with line drawing of a bird and printed slogan," With best wishes from Mr + Mrs Arthur Rackham and Barbara, Christmas 1932", foxed and lightly rubbed to extremities. Inscribed by Arthur Rackham to lower left corner: "Mr + Mrs Jell + [an original doodle of a baby]". Mrs Jell herewith refers to Pauline Evelyn Konody, daughter of British artist Isabel Codrington Pyke-Nott and renowned art critic Paul Konody, and lifelong friend of Dame Laura Knight and Arthur Rackham. This printed card sheet was sent two years after Pauline Konody married Mr Cyril Jell in 1929, and came to us as a larger bundle of letters and correspondence from the family's estate.

A lovely pairing between a rare presentation copy and a card featuring an original doodle from the illustrious Rackham.

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