Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
De La Motte Fouque, F. Undine. William Heinemann, London, 1909.
Price: US$600.00 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: Original vellum-backed printed boards. Fifteen plates. Number 107 of an edition of 250 copies for the United States. Signed by Rackham. New vellum spine; cover corners and edges worn.
Seller: By Books Alone, Woodstock, NY, U.S.A.
FOUQUE, De La Motte. RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.). Undine.. William Heinemann, London, 1909.
Price: US$850.00 + shipping
Description: Adapted from the German by W. L. Courtney. viii, 136 pp. Illustrated with a frontispiece and 14 tipped-in color plates by Arthur Rackham with captioned tissue overleaves. Folio, publisher's full gilt vellum, t.e.g. (ribbon ties absent). First edition; No. 452 of 1000 copies signed by Arthur Rackham. Some overall light dust-soiling to the boards, including the spine; tight and sound; contents fine.
Seller: Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.
FOUQUE, De La Motte. RACKHAM, Arthur (illus.). Undine.. William Heinemann, London, 1909.
Price: US$850.00 + shipping
Description: Adapted from the German by W. L. Courtney. viii, 136 pp. Illustrated with a frontispiece and 14 tipped-in color plates by Arthur Rackham with captioned tissue overleaves. Folio, publisher's vellum-backed gilt-decorated boards, t.e.g. First edition; No. 108 of 1000 copies signed by Arthur Rackham. Older institutional bookplate on pastedown; small number stamp on contents page; boards lightly soiled;; otherwise very nice.
Seller: Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$929.96 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: A good to very good copy of the 1st limited edition signed by Arthur Rackham in the original full vellum binding with tipped in frontispiece and 14 further tipped in colour plates. No 116 of a 1,000 printed. Top page edges gilted, remainder untrimmed. The untrimmed edges are slightly spotted. Plates on brown stock paper with captioned tissue-guards. Numerous black and white designs and illustrations. The binding has bright gilt decoration and titles but the vellum is pitted throughout. There is light wear to corners. The remains of the original ties are present. Internally the book is complete and in near fine clean condition. There is the odd spot, mainly to tissue guards and light toning to pages adjacent to the brown stock paper that supports the plates. The final page and the half title which are adjacent to the brown endpapers are also lightly toned. Please enquire if you would like to see additional images.
Seller: ecbooks, Orkney Islands, United Kingdom
Fouque, De La Motte. Undine. William Heinemann: Doubleday, Page & Co, London: New York, 1909.
Price: US$1000.99 + shipping
Description: First Rackham edition, number 111 (of 1,000) of the deluxe issue, signed by the illustrator. In Undine, the tale of a water nymph in love with a mortal knight, Rackham creates elegant and acrobatic underwater figures amongst 'greeny blue reedy depths with the sun filtering through.' He achieved the sense of underwater suspension in the drawings by having models pose upon a trapeze set up in his studio (Hamilton, p. 101). 15 tipped in tissue-guarded colour plates, pp. viii, 136. Bound in vellum with gilt vignette depicting Undine stamped to front board as well as gilt stamped titles, gilt decorations and titles to spine, deckled edges, top edge gilt, taupe endpapers. folio. Vellum lightly soiled, half-title and final page toned, some instances of very light foxing but overall plates and pages bright and clean, binding firm, boards a little bowed, silk ties not present.
Seller: Keoghs Books, Skipton, United Kingdom
De La Motte Fouque, Friedrich. UNDINE. William Heinemann, 1909.
Price: US$1090.89 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 1st 1909. Very good condition with no wrapper. Deluxe edition limited to 1,000 SIGNED copies. Bound in vellum with gilt decoration to spine, gilt title and vignette to front. 15 beautiful tipped-in colour plates with tissue guards. 30 b/w drawings. SIGNED by illustrator. Copy no. 683. Book: all plates present. Spine darkened, cover edges grubby. Contents clean and bright. Packaged with care and promptly dispatched!
Seller: Stella & Rose's Books, PBFA, Tintern, MON, United Kingdom
Price: US$1227.02 + shipping
Description: Deluxe edition, number 168 of 1000 copies signed by Rackham. This publication "was still another step forward for Rackham, the unity of conception in the line drawings and the colour plates, and the assertion of contrast in the moods of the heroine, rendered it a masterpiece of sympathetic understanding" (Hudson, p. 80). The fairy tale of Undine, a water spirit who marries a human knight to acquire an immortal soul, was first published in German in 1811. Latimore & Haskell pp. 34-5; Riall pp. 93-4. Derek Hudson, Arthur Rackham, His Life and Work, 1975. Quarto. Mid 20th-century green half morocco, spine with raised bands, compartments lettered and framed in gilt, green cloth sides ruled in gilt, preserving original endpapers, top edge gilt, others uncut. Housed in a custom green cloth slipcase. Colour frontispiece and 14 colour plates each mounted on plain paper in a grey printed frame with captioned tissue guard, title page printed in green and black, black and white drawings in the text. Gift inscription to half-title dated 6 June 1910. Spine faded, intermittent light offsetting from plates, otherwise clean, a very good copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Arthur Rackham (ill). Undine (signed limited edition). William Heinemann, 1909.
Price: US$1350.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: "Undine" by Friedrich de la Motte Pouque and ill. by Rackham. London: William Heinemann/New York: Doubleday, Page & Co. 1909 limited edition: #278/1,000 copies signed by Rackham. 4to. 136 pp. Translated from the German by W.L. Courtney. Illustrated with 15 mounted color plates, including frontispiece, plus 30 black and white in-text illustrations. Publisher's deluxe full vellum binding, stamped in gilt, silk ties wanting; top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed; offsetting from plates and mounting paper to text block; book-plate on front paste-down. Latimore and Haskell, p. 34-35; Riall, p. 93-94.
Seller: Neverland Books, waalre, Netherlands
De La Motte Fouque, Friedrich. UNDINE. William Heinemann, 1909.
Price: US$1463.39 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 1st 1909. Very good condition with no wrapper. Deluxe edition limited to 1,000 SIGNED copies. Bound in vellum with gilt decoration to spine, gilt title and vignette to front. 15 beautiful tipped-in colour plates with tissue guards. 30 b/w drawings. Copy no. 156 SIGNED by Rackham. Covers slightly grubby. Silk ties missing. Some light foxing to contents (mainly to tissue guards). All plates present and in fine condition. This copy would make a wonderful gift. Packaged with care and promptly dispatched!
Seller: Stella & Rose's Books, PBFA, Tintern, MON, United Kingdom
Price: US$1500.00 + shipping
Description: Limited Edition, Signed by Arthur Rackham RACKHAM, Arthur, [illustrator]. COURTNEY, W.L., [translator]. LA MOTTE FOUQUÉ, Friedrich, Baron de. Undine. By De La Motte Fouque. Adapted from the German by W.L. Courtney and illustrated by Arthur Rackham. London: William Heinemann, 1909. One of 1,000 copies signed by Rackham, of which this is number 809. Quarto. viii, 136 pp. Fifteen color plates mounted on brown paper with descriptive tissue guards, and thirty black and white text illustrations. Original full vellum. Front cover and spine lettered and pictorially stamped in gilt. With cream silk ties. Brown endpapers. Top edge gilt, others uncut. Vellum a bit rubbed and soiled, bookplate, new ties. Very good. Latimore and Haskell, 34-35. Riall, HBS 67120. $1,500.
Seller: Heritage Book Shop, ABAA, Beverly Hills, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1614.51 + shipping
Description: First Rackham edition, deluxe issue, number 109 of 1,000 copies signed by the illustrator. This publication "was still another step forward for Rackham, the unity of conception in the line drawings and the colour plates, and the assertion of contrast in the moods of the heroine, rendered it a masterpiece of sympathetic understanding" (Hudson, p. 80). The fairy tale of Undine, a water spirit who marries a human knight to acquire an immortal soul, was first published in German in 1811. Latimore & Haskell, pp. 34-5; Riall, pp. 93-4. Derek Hudson, Arthur Rackham, His Life and Work, 1975. Quarto. Original vellum, spine and front cover decorated and lettered in gilt, brown endpapers, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Colour frontispiece and 14 colour plates each mounted on brown paper with captioned tissue guard, black and white drawings in the text, title page printed in green and black. Copy of Joanne Mott, "Undine, a Philosophical Interpretation", Pendle Hill Bulletin, no. 130, April 1956 mounted on rear pastedown. Mid-century ownership inscription of one Polly Oakley Hewitt on front free endpaper and contemporary ownership inscription of one F. H. Hague dated 20/2/14 on half-title. Natural discolouration to vellum, lacking original ties, occasional browning from mounts, short closed tear to fore-edge of p. 30; a very good copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$1750.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Beautifully signed at limitation page by Arthur Rackham: "This Edition is limited to one Thousand numbered and Signed Copies for Great Britain, Ireland and Colonies of which this is No. '200', 'Arthur Rackham'". 1909 at title page. Extra large 9 1/2" x 11 7/8" design. Cream colored vellum (leather) boards, gilt impressed cover and spine titles, designs, moderate shelf wear, some spotting, discoloration. Front cover with Rackham rendition of Undine the mermaid on sea floor, head in hands, as fish swim about her. Very ornately designed gilt titles and fish, decoration. Rough-cut deckled leaves, very good, clean; moderate toning at endpapers. Top text block edge with even cut and gilded. Frontipiece plate of Undine dancing: "Undine outside the window". Stylish title page with illustrated banners of mermaids in deco pattern above and fish in similar pattern below titles. Matte brown endpapers. Includes contents and list of illustrations. Bind fine, square; hinges intact. Two golden brown ribbons originally attached through slits of front & back boards, set into volume, some crease. Very good, sharp interior and plates w/some spotting to exterior. Enchantingly illustrated by Arthur Rackham w/fifteen tipped-in color plates, mounted on matte leaves, each with a captioned fine tissue guard, and nearly forty drawings & designs as vignettes, headers and tail-pieces. This is the charming and dramatic story of the Knight Huldbrand of Ringstetten and of Undine. And how the Knight wedded with a water-sprite, and what chanced therefrom. Then, how the Knight died and was buried, and how Undine returned to her element beneath the Mediterranean Sea. Printed by Ballantyne & Co. Limited, Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London. Illustrations by Hentschel Colourtype. 136 pages. Insured post. Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall
Seller: The BiblioFile, Rapid River, MI, U.S.A.
Price: US$1937.41 + shipping
Description: Signed limited edition, number 464 of 1000 copies signed by the artist. Large octavo. Finely bound by the Chelsea Bindery in recent full blue morocco, gilt titles, box design and raised bands to spine, gilt rule to boards, gilt titles and pictorial decoration to front board, gilt inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. With 15 mounted colour plates as issued, captioned tissues. Sunning to spine as well as areas of fading to boards, faint stains to rear board. A very good copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$1954.48 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: One of the less common of Rackham's works and a beautiful example from the Golden Age of Illustration. It tells of a water-sprite, Undine, who can gain an immortal soul only through marriage to a mortal. The tale is ideally suited to Rackham's art nouveau style, capturing, as he does, both the tale's medieval chivalry and its roots in northern folklore. "It would seem unlikely that one of the most ethereal creatures to capture the imagination of translators and illustrators in the nineteenth-century should have been created by a Prussian officer and inspired by the writings of Paracelsus, the founder of the science of toxicology. Nevertheless, this was the pedigree of Undine, the heroine of Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué's romance of the same name, who would inspire operas, ballets and numerous adaptations. Her elusive form can be glimpsed behind Hans Christian Andersen's âThe Little Mermaid' and Dvo ák's Rusalka, a symbol of all that is mysteriously enchanting and ultimately unattainable." [Susan Halstead, Curator Czech and Slovak, British Library]. The legend had great cultural influence inspiring the English writer of the fairy realm, George MacDonald, to declare âof all fairytales I know, I think Undine the most beautiful'. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Provenance: Ex Libris William Crowle; James Fairfax (from his library at Retford Park, Bowral NSW, with bookplate). Bibliography: Latimore and Haskell p. 34. Riall p. 93. Quarto, limited edition of 1000, signed by Rackham, 15 tipped-in colour plates, captioned paper guards, half-title, original pictorial vellum, gilt, very occasional toning; lacks silk ties otherwise very good.
Seller: Rare Illustrated Books, Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Price: US$2000.00 + shipping
Description: Signed limited first edition, number 425 of 1000 copies, of Arthur Rackham's illustrated version of this German tale, first published in 1811. Celebrated for his depictions of fairy creatures, Rackham is ideally suited for this tale of a water spirit seeking a soul: "below sparkle, stately and solemn, many noble ruins, washed by the loving waters which win from them delicate moss-flowers and entwining clusters of sea-grass. Those who dwell there are very fair." Rackham's wave designs, in particular, lend a Japanese woodblock-inspired Art Nouveau element to the work, as in the image of Undine sinking into the Danube. A near-fine example of the best of the Golden Age of Illustration. Quarto, measuring 11.5 x 9 inches: viii, 136. Original full vellum, front board lettered and decorated in gilt with vignette by Rackham, spine elaborately ornamented in gilt, top edge gilt, other edges uncut, stiff brown endpapers. Half-title, with limitation signed by Rackham on verso. Title page printed in green and black. Frontispiece and fourteen full-page color plates tipped onto heavy brown paper with printed tissue guards; black-and-white headpieces and tailpieces by Rackham throughout text. Lacking silk ties. Light bowing and soiling to boards, with a few faint abrasions, some toning to pages adjacent to brown paper leaves.
Seller: Honey & Wax Booksellers, ABAA, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.