Stories from the Arabian Nights

[DULAC, Edmund]. Stories from the Arabian Nights. Retold by Laurence Housman. With Drawings by Edmund Dulac. London: Hodder and Stoughton [1907]. 4to, xvi 133pp. Brown cloth decoratively stamped in gilt and black. Gray endpapers; 50 hand-mounted color plates with captioned tissue-guards. Spine ends and corners a bit rubbed, slight indent at top center of front cover, small closed tear at center of spine, upper edge of sheets a tad foxed, else an internally clean, bright copy with all plates sharp in publisher’s original dust jacket (some wear to edge, spine panel a bit sunned). Rare in jacket!

First edition. Housman’s brilliant retelling of these beloved stories from The Tales of 1001 Nights, are stunningly captured and brought to life through vibrant and expressive color plates by the incomparable Edmund Dulac. The first of Dulac’s profusely illustrated books – having 50 mounted color plates – issued as a result of the enormous success of Rackham’s Rip Van Winkle and Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Perhaps his most beloved work, this first edition exceeded the publisher’s expectations, having been issued in October only to require a reprint by the end of the next month! Rarely encountered with its dust jacket, this copy is truly magnificent!