The Masque. A Theatre Notebook. [A complete run of 9 Numbers]

The Curtain Press Ltd. London. 1946-1949. First editions. 9 volumes in wrappers, octavo. All housed in three slipcases with paper covers designed by Joan Hassall. No. 1 with 16 pages, increasing to No. 9 with 60 pages. Colour and b&w illustrations throughout, including one tipped-in colour plate in No. 9. Illustrations reproducing designs by Rex Whistler, Cecil Beaton, Charles Ricketts, Inigo Jones, Roger Furse, et al. Woodcut engravings and decorations by Joan Hassall. English. 195x130mm. 0.6kg. Very good, in good slipcases; light rusting of staples, slight wear to some wrappers; light wear to slipcases, light fading to edges, occasional splits. A complete run of the 9 numbers of The Masque periodical. The Masque was a post-War publication designed to keep its readers abreast of the latest developments in contemporary theatre. It begun with the intention to devote each issue to a review and illustrations of a recent play, therefore No. 1 is devoted to Laurence Olivier's production of King Lear at The Old Vic. This intention did not hold and No. 2 is dedicated to Rex Whistler's designs for theatre, as are Nos. 4 and 7. The periodical only ran for 9 issues and there are signs by No. 9 that it was flagging - "An Apology : We would apologize to subscribers for the lateness in publication of this issue, but we hope to arrange for more frequent publication in the future." The complete run of issues are: No. 1. The Old Vic. King LearNo. 2. Designs for the Theatre by Rex Whistler (Part 1)No. 3. Oscar Wilde and the TheatreNo. 4. Designs for the Theatre by Rex Whistler (Part 2)No. 5. The Masque of ChristmasNo. 6. Notes on the Verse DramaNo. 7. Designs for the Theatre by Rex Whistler (Part 3)No. 8. New Developments in the French TheatreNo. 9. Theatrical Figures in Porcelain Beaux Books specialises in fine and rare books on art and culture in the 20th and 21st centuries. We welcome questions about our books and we are happy to provide any extra images. Buy with confidence from an experienced bookseller.…