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[Vale Press; Charles Ricketts] Marlowe, Christopher and George Chapman. Hero And Leander. printed by the Ballantyne Press and sold by Elkin Mathews and John Lane, 1894.

Price: US$2500.00 + shipping

Condition: Near Fine

Description: One of 220 copies printed in Caslon type on Ricketts' Vale Press monogram watermarked paper; with seven wood engravings, plus title page border and decorated initials by Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon. Bound in full gilt decorated vellum, designed by Ricketts, with ruled paneling to the front and rear boards, each with gilt decorated palms in the corners, and the Vale Press monogram at the foot of the spine. Overall a superb copy, spine slightly soiled, a few pages have just a hint of light foxing (but not bad), else about Near Fine. From the library of poet/academic William Matchett with his neat signature and date (1953) on the ffep; and The Elizabethan Bookseller Waukegan IL small label to the bottom of the front pastedown.

Seller: Arundel Books, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.

VALE PRESS: MARLOWE, Christopher, & George Chapman (trans.).. Hero and Leander.. London: printed by the Ballantyne Press and sold by Elkin Mathews and John Lane, 1894, 1894.

Price: US$2925.38 + shipping

Description: First edition thus, one of 220 copies printed on handmade paper, of which 200 were released for trade. This work presents Christopher Marlowe's 1598 rendering of the romantic mythological legend of Hero and Leander with the contemporary continuation by George Chapman. It was one of three productions by Ricketts and Shannon executed "at the Vale", the name of their Chelsea home, before the official establishment of the Vale Press in 1896. The work was produced to commemorate the 400 year anniversary of the first printing of Musaeus's sixth century Greek text of Hero and Leander by Aldus Manutius in Venice in 1494. The binding was designed by Ricketts and bears his initials on both covers. Ransom 434. Octavo. Original full vellum, spine lettered in gilt, decoration palm motif designed by Ricketts on spine and covers in gilt, fore and bottom edge untrimmed. Full-page woodcut title page, woodcut vignettes and initials all by Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon. Front cover slightly bowed as often, gilt bright, occasional light foxing to contents, otherwise clean. A very good copy.

Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom