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A handsome circa-1930s Blackie edition of The Arabian Nights, selected and retold for children by Gladys Davidson and illustrated by René Bull. Complete with all sixteen colour plates and featuring striking decorated cloth boards. Gift inscription dated 28 December 1938.
1 in stock
The Arabian Nights by Gladys Davidson, selected and retold for children and magnificently illustrated by René Bull, is an attractive early 20th-century edition of the famous collection of Middle Eastern folk and fairy tales. Published by Blackie & Son Limited of London and Glasgow, this substantial 352-page volume brings together thirteen classic tales in an accessible form intended for younger readers.
Among the stories are Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, The Enchanted Horse, Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Banou, The Merchant and the Genie, Noureddin and the Fair Persian, and Abou Hassan; or, The Sleeper Awakened.
A particularly desirable feature of this edition is its illustration by celebrated artist René Bull. The Arabian Nights contains sixteen colour plates, all of which are present in this copy, together with additional illustrations within the text. The colour plate listed as facing page 318 has been bound in at page 321, an interesting production variation rather than a missing illustration.
The cloth binding is especially attractive, featuring striking decorative artwork to both the front board and spine. The coloured elements of this decoration appear to have been applied directly to the cloth, giving The Arabian Nights a particularly appealing period appearance.
Although the book itself is undated, the gift inscription dated 28 December 1938 establishes that this copy was already in circulation by the end of 1938. The Arabian Nights should therefore be catalogued as circa 1930s, rather than as one of the later circa-1940 printings sometimes encountered.
Condition – Very Good
Very good hardcover. The illustrated cloth boards show moderate shelf wear, rubbing and wear to the corners and spine extremities. There is an ink inscription to the inner cover and a gift inscription on the endpaper dated 28/12/38. Foxing and age-related discolouration are present throughout. All sixteen listed colour plates are present; the plate listed as facing page 318 is bound in at page 321. There is a tear near the spine on page 351. Overall, a complete and attractive copy with particularly appealing decorated boards.
