Ernest Gimson, His Life & Work; [Association Copy: Rainforth Armitage Walker]

London and Oxford: Ernest Benn Limited and Basil Blackwell (printed by the Shakespeare Head Press, Stratford-upon-Avon), 1924. First and Limited Edition. Hardcover. Very good +/fair. One of 500 copies, large quarto size, 60 pp. and 60 plates, with original dust jacket and prospectus. Ernest William Gimson (1864-1919) is know as one of the greatest of the English architect-designers. "Today his reputation is securely established as one of the most influential designers of the English Arts and Crafts movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries" (n.b., info and quote from Wiki).

As with William Morris, Gimson believed in working (truncated) with his hands and making things that fit their purpose with beauty, striving for a merger of the practical and the aesthetic. He obhorred things made by machine; doing one's work well, as best as one could, by hand, was the lodestar of his life. Morris and Gimson became friends, and Gimson designed a cottage for May Morris at Kelmscott.

This work is a fitting tribute, with opening essays by his friends, two of whom provided line drawings to accompany the essays, and sixty collotype plates printed by Emery Walker. This particular volume has an interesting association, with the Ex-Libris of Rainforth Armitage Walker (1886-1960), based on a chapter heading illustration by Aubrey Beardsley in "Le Morte D'arthur". Per Mark Samuels Lasner, in "The Bookplates of Aubrey Beardsley" (p. 95), this Ex-Libris was not designed as an original bookplate by Beardsley (only three of these are known), but Walker had this Beardsley illustration printed as his Ex-Libris by Hugh Dent, the printer of "Le Morte D'arthur". Walker was a an early fan and collector of the works of Beardsley, and authored several books on the artist and his works. The subscriber list at the back of the book lists an "R.G. Walker" with an address in Bedford Park, with the "G." crossed out in pencil; Rainforth Armitage Walker did live in Bedford, so it is entirely possible the middle initial was a typo and it is, in fact, his name in the subscriber list.

To add interest to this volume, we have the original prospectus (which, as of this writing, no other copies online have), and the dust jacket (see condition statement below), as well as both the Errata slip and the spare paper spine label (see description below). A prior owner (perhaps R.A. Walker?) pasted into the book two reviews: the first from The Times Literary Supplement dated 17 April, 1924 and the second from The London Mercury dated May, 1924.

___DESCRIPTION: Bound in quarter natural linen with paper spine label, fore- and bottom edges uncut, the Ex-Libris of R.A. Walker on the front pastedown, the title page with one of the eight in-text line drawings (see p. 9, "The Cottage at Sapperton: South Side"), the limitation statement on the verso of the title page, this copy no. 21 of 500, the Errata slip bound in between the limitation page and the Contents, the three essays followed by the section of collotype plates "made from drawings by Ernest Gimson and photographs of his completed work" (p. 35), following the plates is a "List of the Original Subscribers" which include, among many others, C.H. St J. Hornby, W.R. Lethaby, May Morris, B.H. Newdigate, A.R. Powys, and Emery Walker, tipped onto the rear pastedown is the spare spine label; printed on Batchelor's Kelmscott Hand-made paper, large quarto size (the binding measures 12" by 8 3/4"), pagination: [i-iv] v-vii [1, blank] 1-46 [1, blank] [60 plates printed on rectos only], i-v (List of Subscribers). The prospectus consists of a single leaf (11 3/8" by 8 1/2"), on one side is a mirror of the title page with a short announcement above ("Ready in March...) and the other side with standard prospectus information including, at the bottom, a short section which could be used to order the book. The dust jacket is quite simple, the front panel with just the book's title and "Four guineas net" at the bottom, the spine again with just the book's title, and the back panel with the press device of the Shakespeare Head Press.

___CONDITION: Volume better than very good, the boards clean (although showing some offsetting from the binding glue), the linen on the sides clean, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior bright and clean (other than a few, very light stray marks), and collated complete; the corners bumped with minimal rubbing, the spine discoloured, foxing to the top edge of the text block, toning to the uncut fore- and bottom edges, offsetting to the endpapers, the two contemporary reviews tipped onto the front free endpaper (with toning) and the flyleaf, the gift inscription also on the front free endpaper (see Provenance below). The prospectus also a bit better than very good, with no markings and relatively little edgewear, but with some unintended creases and toning. The dust jacket is fair only, the spine portion missing large pieces and showing old damp-stains as well as sunning, the rest of the jacket with overall edgewear. Even with the jacket's issues, this volume still special due to its completeness (including the prospectus) and provenance.

___PROVENANCE: In addition to this volume being owned by Rainforth Armitage Walker (see details above) it was also owned at one time by Joy Rodney Marsh (1914-2002) and her husband, Millar J.C. White, he "a well-known Berkeley resident and homebuilder" (n.b., info and quote from Joy's obit in SF Gate online). This per a gift inscription on the front free endpaper dated September 20, 1948 (? - the year is difficult to read), which reads thus: "To Joy and Millar / In appreciation of their great kindness upon our visit to Piedmont / Wishing them every happiness / Recine and Ogar (?)".

___POSTAGE: International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.

___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help. (Inventory #: 25021001)