The Transformation of Lucius, Otherwise Known as The Golden Ass

The Transformation of Lucius, Otherwise Known as The Golden Ass, by Lucius Apuleius.

London: The Folio Society, [1960]. Limited edition #64 out of 75, signed by illustrator Michael Ayrton.

One of the five rare limited edition special bindings from 1960 that include Defoe's A Journal of the Plague Year (49 copies), Robert Bage's Hermsprong or Man As He Is Not (25 copies), Memoirs of Louis-Philippe, Comte de Ségur (41 copies) Henry Mürger's Vie de Boheme (46 copies).

Translated by Robert Graves, lithographs by Michael Ayrton. 254 × 158 × 22 mm. Pp. [1–4] 5–208: [9] leaves of two-colour plates (facing pp. [1], 49, 64, 76, 97, 112, 141, 180 and 195). Type: Ehrhardt with Columna for display. Printed by Western Printing Services, the lithographs by the Curwen Press. Bound by Evans of Croydon in full brown morocco leather with decoration blind embossed to covers, blind-embossed labels, gilt lettering and decoration to spine; endleaves with a design in black and brown by Ayrton. Not issued with a slipcase.

Accordingly to Folio's most recent bibliography, during the 1950s, a number of members had expressed an interest in having the option to buy Folio books in specially bound and signed limited editions. This book was the first of Founder Charles Ede’s experiments in this direction, and an extra colophon leaf was printed, stating that 250 copies were specially bound in full brown morocco and numbered and signed by Ayrton. However, it appears that the response was disappointing, and only 75 copies were actually bound up and issued in this form. Four other ‘limited editions’ were published during 1960, but the response was equally poor and the experiment was repeated only intermittently before 1990, although a number of titles were offered in special bindings.

Very good book with a little wear to the leather binding in places, mostly to extremities and joints, and a few small, faded marks to lower edge. The book has the give of a read example, particularly between frontispiece and title page, but pages are well bound, clean and free of any inscriptions. This limited edition was not issued in a slipcase.