Gustave Dore 1974 First US Edition Praeger Illustrated

First U.S. Edition. Large-format hardcover in bright blue cloth with gilt spine lettering, in the original pictorial dust jacket. 112 pages, extensively illustrated in black and white with Dore's drawings, engravings, book illustrations, paintings, and documentary photographs. The volume concludes with a useful bibliography of the principal books illustrated by Dore and an index. The copyright page states that the book was published in the United States in 1974 by Praeger Publishers and carries a 1973 London copyright; the original British edition was issued by David & Charles in 1973. Smithsonian Libraries likewise catalogs the Praeger issue as New York, 1974. Gosling approaches Gustave Dore (1832-1883) not simply as the illustrator of Don Quixote, Poe's The Raven, Dante, and the Bible, but as a remarkably versatile nineteenth-century artist. Following a biographical section, he organizes Dore's work thematically under Satire, Adventure, Horror, Awe, Realism, and Compassion-an unusually effective format for demonstrating the range behind an artist whose most familiar images are often encountered detached from their original books. Particularly appealing is Gosling's inclusion of lesser-known material alongside famous illustrations, including early caricature, Rabelais, Cervantes, and other literary work. Princeton's Graphic Arts Collection still cites Gosling's study in its discussion of Dore's book illustration, evidence of the book's continuing usefulness as a secondary source on the artist. Condition: Very Good+ / Very Good+. The blue cloth remains exceptionally vivid, with bright gilt spine lettering; binding is square and firm, with only minor shelf wear at the extremities and a little light rubbing along the lower edge. Interior is clean and bright with no markings observed in the photographed pages. Original pictorial dust jacket is complete and presents very well, retaining strong blue/purple coloration and striking Dore imagery; light edge wear and small rubs/nicks are visible at corners and spine ends, with a small amount of wear along the upper edge. Flaps are clean.…