Martineau, Harriet, et al.: «Feats on the fiord, a tale», 1841-1915. [6 titles].

Lot description

Feats on the fiord, a tale. London, Charles Knight & Co., 1841. vi, 375pp, (1, blank), (1 leaf (publisher’s advrtisement on recto, verso blank)). No illustrations. 24mo. First edition alone. Volume 3 of a series of 4 tales published quarterly under the series name The Playfellow, which is printed at the top of the title page.The price, 3s. 6d. in Cloth, is printed at the bottom og the title page. The publisher’s advertisement at the back of this book, names the first two titles in this series (The settlers at home and The peasant and the prince), but not the fourth (The Crofton boys), probably because this was not yet published. Contemporary burgundy half leather binding over marbled boards, the flat spine divided into compartments by seven gilt single rulings, with gilt title, author and rosettes in five of the compartments. Boards, corners, edges and spine rubbed. Green end papers, with an armorial bookplate (Rycrofts) on the front pastedown. Blind title page missing. Ink address (Kempshots Park) at top of title page. Scattered foxing on preliminaries, and slight browning throughout, interior otherwise tight and clean. Martineau was born in Norwich, UK. After the family firm failed in 1829, and unable to teach because of deafness, Martineau turned to writing to support herself. She was an early popularizer of the theories of Locke and Hartley and argued that the discrepancy between men and women was due to differences in educational opportunities. Her reputation as a writer was based principally on her original popularizing serial Illustrations of Political Economy, 1832-3. She toured America in 1834. Very rare. Schiötz 664b, Rivlin, J.B. (Harriet Martineau 1947), 482, (see Schiötz II 664), Bibliotheca Norvegica II 1522. Norway and the Norwegians; or Feats on the fiord. A Tale. New York, D. Appleton and Company, 1842. (Series name on the blind title page, Tales for the people and their children.) vi, (7)-180pp, 2 (series advertisement), (1 blank leaf). Engraved frontispiece. 16mo. First American edition. Publisher’s original red blind-stamped cloth binding, the front board with short title “Feats on the fiord” in a central oval surrounded by floral and scrolling motifs, the rear board identical, except that the central oval field is blank, the spine with similar gilt floral and scrolling motifs and with a gilt short title Norway and the Norwegians. Boards faded, bumped, rubbed and soiled, spine with a dark stain at the top above the title, and with slight fraying of the bottom edge. Tiny ink number (15) at the top of the front pastedown, and an illegible ink signature on the back of the frontispiece. Scattered foxing (especially on the title page and frontispiece) and staining throughout, but very tight and the text block mostly clean. Schiötz 664u, Rivlin, J.B. (Harriet Martineau 1947), 454 (see Schiötz II 664), Bibliotheca Norvegica II 1522. Feats on the fiord. A tale of Norway. With forty illustrations by P. Ebbutt. London, George Routledge and Sons, 1885. (i-vi), 241pp, (1) (blank), 1-6 (advertisements). Frontispiece, and 40 in-text illustrations. 12mo. Original decorated maroon cloth binding, the front board with author, title and borders in gilt, within intaglio maroon floral decorations on a black background, and the spine with gilt author, title, publisher, with floral decoration on a maroon ground. Top and bottom of spine and corners very slightly bumped, and some rubbing and fading of the gilding on the bottom border of the front board and of the spine. Signature 12-2 standing a little proud, and insignificant general paper browning towards the page edges. Otherwise tight and very clean. Not in Schiötz but cf. Schiötz 664g (though 2 years later and illustrated), not recorded by Rivlin either (see Schiötz II 664 (note towards the end). Feats on the fjord. A tale.With 12 illustrations by A(rthur) Rackham [1867-1939]. London, J.M. Dent & Company, 1899. (i-viii), 237pp, (1) (blank). Coloured frontispiece and 11 black and white in-text illustrations by Arthur Rackham. Coloured title page, protected with original tissue guard. 16mo. First edition with Rackham drawings. In the series Temple classics for young people. Original blue cloth binding, the front board impressed with a device and Harriet Martineau, the spine with gilt title between art nouveau entwined foliate decoration. Boards slightly bowed, bumped and rubbed. Top edges gilt. Pages untrimmed. Art nouveau owner stamp on the front pastedown. Interior tight and clean. Schiötz 664l, Bibliotheca Norvegica IV, 2827. Feats on the fiord. A tale. With coloured illustrations by Arthur Rackham [1867-1939]. London, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, and New York, E.P. Dutton & Co., n.d. (ca. 1914). Printed by The Temple Press, Letchworth. This copy the American edition. 128pp. Coloured frontispiece and 7 in-text illustrations from line drawings by Arthur Rackham. As stated on the errata slip bound in between pages 6 and 7 (List of illustrations), Rackham’s drawings were coloured by W(illiam) Cubitt Cooke (1866-1951). 16mo. In the series Tales for Children from many lands, edited by F. C. Tilney. Red cloth binding, the front board with a detail of the frontispiece pasted on, surrounded by gilt title (Feats on the fjords (sic)), author, illustrations artist, publisher and elaborate floral and bird decoration. the spine with gilt title, publisher (Dutton), and floral decoration, all faded. Gilt on front board bright and clean. Previous owner’s name in ink on free front end paper (dated 1915). Retailer’s label (Johnson’s Bookstore, Springfield) on the bottom of rear pastedown. Interior very tight and clean. A fine copy. Not in Schiötz, but probably later than Schiötz 664t, (the only edition noted by Schiötz printed in Letchworth, dated 1910), and not in Rivlin either, according to Schiötz. 1 000 – 2 000 NOK € 100-200