THE KING OF THE GOLDEN RIVER       JOHN RUSKIN

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARTHUR RACKHAM

J. B. LIPPINCOTT CO.    PHILADELPHIA

No date; circa 1932.  Orange buckram (cloth) boards, illustrated title plate adhered to front board, bright w/slight shelf wear.  Cover plate depicts a whimsical impish king with staff, charming titles,  and a stylized tree near river in hues of maroon, gold, orange, and green.  Deckled leaves very good.  Frontispiece color plate with caption: "He Put the Bottle to the Child's Lips".   Also, three additional color plates by Arthur Rackham enhance this volume.  Monochromatic illustrated patterned green endpapers of elfin king arms spread with his sceptor.  Scissorcuts by Lisl Hummel.  Vignettes, partial page, ornamental and decorative imagery from Rackham throughout.   

Rare original dust wrapper, moderate edge wear, discoloration; unclipped, protected in new clear sleeve.  Front panel features cover and spine titles, vertical row of imp, squirrel, and golden king, and a matching interior color Rackham illustration: "Before Gluck stood his old acquaintance, the King of the Golden River".  Other Rackham illustrated titles at front flap; Poems by Lysbeth Boyd Borie at back panel; and, an assortment of Lippincott titles at back panel.   A wonderfully realized and entertaining work of art and craftsmanship.   Near fine in near very good original dust jacket. 

Originally written in 1841 for twelve-year-old Effie Gray.  It was published in book form in 1851, and became an early Victorian classic which sold out three editions.  A fairy tale that illustrates the triumph of love, kindness, and goodness over evil, as well as a fable, a fabricated origin myth and a parable.  Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, as well as an art patron, draughtsman, watercolorist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist.  Illustration with  Rackham's stylish imagery and whimsical flourishes throughout.   A beautifully imagined classic!   Printed in Great Britain by R. & R. Clark, Limited, Edinburgh.  8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" Tall.  Insured post.