The Antichrist of Nietzschte

The Antichrist of Nietzsche: A New Version in English by P. R. Stephensen; with illustrations by Norman Lindsay; The Fanfrolico Press, London. From the colophon – Here ends the Antichrist of Friedrich Nietzsche translated by P. R. Stephensen and illustrated with drawings by Norman Lindsay now published by the Fanfrolico ` in London forty years after Nietzsche completed the work. The book was printed in Poliphilus Type upon Arnold’s Handmade Paper at the Botolph Printing Works in Gate Street Kingsway London under the supervision of William Dieper and the Plates were engraved by Alexander & Sons the book bound by Kelly & Sons Typography and production arranged by Jack Lindsay and P. R. Stephensen – dies buch gebort den Wenigsten. The edition is limited to five hundred and fifty copies printed on Arnold’s Handmade paper – this copy out of series with the following presentation inscription: to D. H. Lawrence with respect from P. R. Stephensen. From the Book Wild Man of Letters: The Story of P. R. Stephensen, by Craig Munro, Melbourne University Press, 1984 – At this time Lawrence was in a fury over the English suppression of Lady Chatterley’s Lover. So, he eagerly seized upon the possibility of publishing his paintings, a project Jack Lindsay had suggested in an offhand way to Orioli. Lawrence not only asked Davies to mention it to Stephensen, but on 14 December wrote to his London friend, S. S. Koteliansky, enclosing a letter to Lindsay offering an introductory essay on modern painting if the Fanfrolico would issue his paintings. Before Lawrence’s letter reached England, Stephensen arrived in France with his trunk of books, putting up in fashionable Nice where he had little difficulty disposing of his expensive stock. Rhys Davies was also in Nice, and a week before Christmas 1928 Stephensen decided to travel down to Bandol with him by train, a journey of some hours, to visit Lawrence. They spent two days with Lawrence and Freida at the Hotel Beau Rivage and Stephensen dropped Winifred a line on hotel notepaper saying he had got on wonderfully with Lawrence. Stephensen also presented seven Fanfrolico books – including this book – to Lawrence who afterwards characterized them to Huxley as what a waste of good printing. But Stephensen assured Lawrence that the paintings would be published under a new imprint, and one which would not employ any of Norman Lindsay’s artwork, for which Lawrence obviously had scant respect. The new press, which Stephensen called the Mandrake, had already been discussed with Jack Lindsay and was tentatively planned as an offshoot of the Fanfrolico. That did not happen and Stephensen left Fanfrolico and set up the Mandrake Press, where he published Lawrence and Aleister Crowley. This folio sized book is in near-fine condition. The binding is scuffed but the text and illustrations are in fine condition. A wonderful association copy.…