Buy this book on-line

WILLIAMS-ELLIS**, AMABEL - Stories retold by: : THE ARABIAN NIGHTS. [Illustrated by Pauline Diana Baynes. **]

LONDON.HarperCollinsPublishers,2006.

ISBN No ISBN.

US,8vo HB+dw/dj,illustrated,US 1st edn. [Stated First United States Publication,1967 with Library of Congress Catalog Card No.67-10230. Copyrighted 1965 to Blackie and Son Ltd.,and Moura Budberg.Front inner flap with Printed in Great Britain but with a US dollar price of $4.95.] VG+/VG-.Bright,cleanwrap-around colour pictorial artwork by Sarah Nechamkin,illustrated dw/dj with capitalised,decorative white-lettered title at top edge,author's and illustrator's capitalised,red-lettered names at lower edge. Assumed,similarly coloured+lettered title at spine/backstrip head - but an approx. 2" deep and across,loss at it's head; continuing as an inverted triangular loss of 1/2" wide along front's top edge and approx 2" deep beside spine/backstrip's front fold/crease/gutter of same tear/damage with it's missing title.Spine/backstrip sunned and partially faded,especially to the author+illustrator names' at foot of same,rear panel bright and clean.Approx. 98% of dw/dj present.Apart from the tear at its head, there is negligible shelf-wear to other edges and corners.Top edges lightly aged/toned with an ink line drawn across its width front to rear, fore-edges similarly aged/toned and unusually virtually foxing-free; contents bright,tight, crisp and clean - an accidental small crease to top corner tips of pp119-126 inclusive - else,no intentional dog-ear reading creases to any other pages' corners,still seems unread,other than my own collation. Publisher's bright crisp, generally clean,sharp-cornered,original lemon yellow cloth boards with a blocked,glossy black illustration to front lower corner (horse pulling a loaded cart of beets with a peasant driver),blocked capitalised glossy,black-lettered spine and repeated pink+b/w illustrated endpapers.US,8vo HB+dw/dj,illustrated,US 1st edn,viii-xiiipp+2-272pp [paginated] includes reverse of Contents list/table,author's Preface,32 chapters/tales,8 colour plates (all called for and includes frntis),profuse b/w line illustrations all by Sarah Nechamkin throughout the text and the book; plus [unpaginated] 2pp blanks,half-title with blank verso,a colour frntis,a b/w thumbnail illustrated title page, separate Contents+Illustrations lists/tables,and a separate dedication. Visually,the external appearance is acceptable,and particularly internally,is in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation for a book of it's near 60 year-old age and nature, i.e. a dust-wrappered children's book.It is only the faults described that prevents a higher grading overall.Despite that, it really is still an notable example for it's brightnesss and lack of other age-acquired detracting faults commonly encountered in book of this age. This collection of Russian fairy tales has been garnered from all corners the country by Baronesss Moura Budberg,herself born and brought up in Russia and an experienced translator of the Russian language.There are romantic and heroic tales,quieter magical tales,humorous tales,charming stories with animals and bird heroes,more recent tales and plenty of others. This is her first book for children. Sarah Nechamkin's drawings bring out the special Russian quality of the tales and add enormously to the magic of their world. Sarah (b. 1917 - d. 2017) born in England,but her family was originally from Russia,and the two preceeding generations of her family were artists,so it was no surprise she would chose to follow that path too.A student of the innovative and influential art teacher Nan Youngman,who taught at Highbury Hill school Nechamkin later went to Chelsea School of Art.She studied at Chelsea at the same time as Susan Williams-Ellis,and both were taught by greats such as Henry Moore, Robert Medley, Graham Sutherland and Ceri Richards.Later on, Sarah taught in Chelsea herself, helping many other artists in their careers.She much preferred creating her own work to that of teaching, and from the early 1940's until 1965,she concentrated on graphic art,including illustrations for books and design work. She did a lot of work for the Curwen Press, including patterned paper used by Penguin Books for book covers and music scores.Her greatest graphic achievement must certainly be the colour illustrations for Blackie & Son which were published between 1965 and 1977. Visiting Ibiza in 1961,she soon after met her husband,Pepe Ballesteros,a native of the island.The landscape and traditional architecture of Ibiza was an inspiration in her work,and from that time on,she was able to focus her energy on painting.Sarah tended to paint landscapes, very often with scattered villages or dwellings,and she would sometimes include figures in the landscape.She would also paint interior scenes,with plants,flowers,fruit,cats and figures.Most of her work focused on Ibiza, other parts of Spain and Morocco. The distinguishing characteristics of her work is the clear colours,the light,and the technique she perfected over the years of using egg tempera paint,which is translucent,to add layers of color on top of each other to create depth shadow,light and form.The tone or her work is dream-like,and expresses the artist's ideas about an ideal of peace and beauty that she found in her subject. There have been exhibitions of Sarah's work from the 60's onwards in Wales,Ibiza,California and London.Her work can be found in private collections throughout Europe and North America and a number of her paintings are on display in rooms and cottages in Portmeirion. Amabel Williams-Ellis,who is well known as an authority on fairy tales and folklore,has helped with the compilation.The success of the companion volumes which she has retold,'Fairy Tales from the British Isles' - see my book ID rja1176624,and 'Round the World Fairy Tales', along with 'Grimm's Fairy Tales' - see my book ID rja1176724,and 'The Arabian Nights' - this listing,endorses her name as a guarantee that what children really like can be found inside. Amabel Williams-Ellis (nee Mary Annabel Nassau Strachey; b. 10 May 1894 – d. 27 August 1984) was an English writer,critic,and an early member of the Bloomsbury Group.As well as publishing her own writings,Williams-Ellis was a prolific editor,translator, and anthologist,compiling collections of fairy stories, folk tales,and science fiction.Over the course of her life, Williams-Ellis wrote more than 40 books.These included novels, books for children,and histories.She wrote regularly for periodicals, and edited multiple volumes of folk legends, fairy tales,and science fiction. Please contact the seller,particularly ALL overseas buyers,for correct [insured,or uninsured at own risk] shipping/P+p quotes BEFORE placing your order, especially if ordering any multiples. N.B. ALL buyers please note,stock(s') shipping quotes are adjusted for any refunds AFTER receipt of order and BEFORE the despatch of the order,especially if the item is offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: US Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

UK.8vo HB+dw/dj,illustrated,2nd reprint.
Not SIGNED.

Bibliophile Bookbase for antiquarian books, maps and prints.