Tales of Mystery and Imagination

[Clarke, Harry, (illustrator)]; Edgar Allan Poe

Published by George G. Harrap & Co, London, 1928

Quarto (10 9/16 x 8 inches; 269 x 203 mm.). 381, [2], [1, blank] pp. Eight color plates mounted on gray paper (including frontispiece), twenty-four black and white plates, and twenty-seven decorative tail-pieces and vignettes. Publisher's black cloth with pictorial paper label printed in gold and black on front cover. Spine pictorially stamped and lettered in gilt, top edge gilt, others uncut. Minor rubbing to extremities. Some light foxing to endpapers and preliminary leaves. A very good copy. Henry Patrick Clarke (1889-1931) was an Irish stained-glass designer, graphic artist, and book illustrator who was major figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. He drew aesthetic inspiration from French Symbolist, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco movements, all of which manifest in his elaborate images. Commissioned to illustrate Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination in 1919, it was not until the release of the second edition with eight color plates on grey card (as opposed to only halftone illustrations) that his reputation for book illustration was cemented. "Mr. Harry Clarke has allowed himself full liberty in attempting to express the features of Poe's Tales which differentiate them from others. In his drawings, the morbid imaginings of Poe's extraordinary genius are depicted without any attempt to soften their weird effects upon most readers. At the same time the drawings are extremely beautiful. They exhibit a wealth of delicate and intricate design such as few other, if any, living artists can command" (Harrap's). See Bowe, pp. 149-150. Steenson A2.j. Very Good. Seller Inventory # 6224

Bibliographic Details

Title: Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Publisher: George G. Harrap & Co, London
Publication Date: 1928
Condition: Very Good
Edition: Early edition.