Dolly Dialogues, The

The Scarce First Issue of the First Book Entirely Illustrated by Rackham RACKHAM, Arthur, illustrator]. HOPE, Anthony. The Dolly Dialogues. Reprinted from the Westminster Gazette. London: Westminster Gazette, 1894. First edition, second issue (August 1894) with "The Dolly Dialogues" as running headline and "price one shilling" at the lower right corner; the first issues have "Dolly" as running headline and the price location shifted upward. Small octavo (7 1/16 x 5 1/2 inches; 180 x 140 mm.). 111, (1, blank) pp. Four black and white illustrated plates in half-tone by Rackham at pp. 32, 42, 82, 104. Bound ca. 1894 in red buckram, spine with green morocco label lettered in gilt, original red printed wrapper bound in at front. Small bookplate of William Chance on front free endpaper. Spine slightly faded, first plate slightly shorter (3/16 inch) at fore-margin, some light foxing to a few leaves. A very good copy. "The stories that make up 'The Dolly Dialogues' were published in the Westminster Gazette from Oct. 1893 to June 1894 and were not illustrated. In July 1894 they were collected and issued as the Westminster Gazette Library - Vol 1, with 4 no. illustrations by Rackham, and this is the first book wholly illustrated by him" (Riall). "Rackham had already illustrated several titles which are much sought after by collectors.The four pictures in The Dolly Dialogues are in the semi-photograhic style in heavy line and wash." (Gettings, p. 102). According to Hamilton's biography, Rackham used his younger sister, Winifred, as model for the cover illustration. Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, better known as Anthony Hope (9 February 1863 - 8 July 1933), was an English novelist and playwright. He was a prolific writer, especially of adventure novels but he is remembered best for The Prisoner of Zenda (1894) and its sequel Rupert of Hentzau (1898). These works, "minor classics" of English literature, are set in the contemporaneous fictional country of Ruritania and spawned the genre known as Ruritanian romance. Zenda has inspired many adaptations, most notably the 1937 Hollywood movie of the same name. Riall, p. 2. Latimore and Haskell, pp. 1-2.