The Lonesomest Doll

First edition illustrated by Rackham, published only in America. Octavo (8 5/16 x6 1/8 in; 212 x 155 mm). Collating [8]. 80, [1], [3, blank]. Original tan cloth, pictorially stamped in colors. Small "1951" postage stamp on front free-endpaper. Title page, frontispiece and two full page illustrations in rose and greenish-blue, twenty-six black and white drawings. A Near Fine copy. "There is no more famous illustrator of children's books in the entire world than Arthur Rackham. Indeed, there are many people who make a point of buying every Rackham book regardless of subject, merely for the sake of the pictures. For, unlike that of many illustrators, Mr. Rackham's work appeals equally to the child and the adult, delighting the young reader by its whimsical humor and multitude of perfectly executed details, and adults by its beauty and artistry. In 'The Lonesomest Doll' Mr. Rackham has found an unusually appealing theme, and he has contributed a series of thirty-one of his unique illustrations (four in color), making a volume that should take its place as one of the finest gift books of the year. Miss Brown's charming story of the proud little queen and her beautiful lonesome doll has held a place for many years among the favorite books of the younger readers, and this new and beautiful edition should make it many new friends" (Front flap of dust jacket). Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) is perhaps the most acclaimed and influential illustrators of the Golden Age of Illustration. A prolific artist even from his youth, Rackham got his start as an illustrator working for the Westminster Budget Newspaper (1892). Over the next few years, he took on more and more commissions for children's books, hitting his career high in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Rackham turned his imaginative pen to every classic-from Shakespeare to Dickens to Poe. Latimore and Haskell p. 63. Hudson p. 171. Riall p. 163.…