ADVENTURES OF UNCLE LUBIN

New York: Brentanos, 1902. Very good plus.. First US edition of the first book written and illustrated by Robinson, a quixotic comedy of contraptions, printed in Great Britain and published the same year as the UK first. Entirely designed by Robinson, UNCLE LUBIN is a fantasy tale of the titular character's voyages and mishaps in balloons, boats, submarines, etc., all depicted with Robinson's famous complicated mechanisms. His debt to Cervantes is particularly obvious in the comedic spirit of adventure that drives the work (and indeed, in this same period Robinson was illustrating a new edition of DON QUIXOTE). The text is often laid out in irregular format to fit around the vignettes, adding to the off-kilter tone: a spellbinding mix of comedy, fantasy, and book design. It was the publication of this book that brought Robinson to commercial success, and this edition is now a rarity. Small quarto. 8'' x 6.25''. Original blue pictorial cloth stamped in light blue, green and white. Illustrated by Robinson with color frontispiece, 55 full page black and whites and 72 vignettes plus pictorial endpapers. One page of publisher's ads at rear. [16], 117, [1], [2] pages (illustrations included in page count). 1933 ownership inscription from Germany on second fly leaf. Hinges expertly repaired, minimal rubbing to boards, else clean and beautiful. (Inventory #: 31318)