Rudyard Kipling / W

DESCRIPTION: I am pleased to offer at auction a beautiful copy of the highly sought-after FIRST EDITION of Rudyard KIPLING’S masterwork "A SONG OF THE ENGLISH", featuring 30 tipped-in colour plates with tissue guards and numerous monochrome in-text illustrations by the great W. HEATH ROBINSON. A true treasure for collectors and lovers of Golden Age illustrated literature. W. Heath Robinson (1872-1944) belongs to the select group of the finest Golden Age illustrators, alongside Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. Here he has created a lavish edition of Kipling’s famous poem, featuring 30 tipped-in colour plates! This is a book so special that it deserves a description worthy of it, one in which you, the bidder and future reader, become the protagonist: Once upon a time, there was a collector who believed he was searching for a masterpiece. He did not yet know that, in truth, the masterpiece had already chosen him. On a velvet-lined shelf, shielded from the relentless pace of the modern age, a rare volume waited in poise: the 1909 first edition of Rudyard Kipling’s A Song of the English, illuminated by the singular hand of W. Heath Robinson. When the cover was lifted, the air seemed to fill with the distant hum of deep-sea cables, the salt spray of uncharted oceans, and the lonely beam of coastal lighthouses piercing the sea mist. It was not mere poetry to be read, but a grand voyage across the globe to be undertaken. Robinson had envisioned Kipling’s epic with the visionary craft of a master artist: with colors that captured the vast, mystic horizons of the sea and intricate lines that bridged the power of human enterprise with romantic myth. His empire was not just one of stone and steel; it was a realm of silent oceans, roaring tides, and heroic spirits. His illustrations—from the coastal lights watching over dark waters to the submerged cables whispering through the abyss—did not just occupy the page; they breathed within it, caught in a moment of solemn, majestic poetry. Every plate seemed to murmur: Fair is our lot—O goodly is our heritage! Whoever turned these heavy pages understood something essential: before these verses became a monument of English poetry, they were a hymn to human resilience and discovery; before they were history, they were a celebration of the restless human spirit. And that spirit had been preserved there, vibrant and still, in that very 1909 printing, like a tide caught in a golden frame. As the decades drifted by, copies of this caliber began to fade into the shadows of history. Many were locked away in silent vaults; others succumbed to the wear of time. Fewer and fewer remained in the light, and those that survived developed a quiet urgency, seeking a hand that would appreciate their weight. The collector touched the spine with reverence. He understood then that certain books do not enter our lives to be owned; they come to transform our surroundings into something more magical. He realized that some treasures are not acquired through logic, but recognized by a soul that remembers a beauty it has seen before. From that day on, the volume sat in a place of honor. And the collector, whenever he caught sight of that gilded title, would feel a quiet joy: he had learned that the greatest stories never truly end—they simply wait for the right person to call them back to the sea. EXQUISITE AND HIGHLY SOUGHT-AFTER FIRST EDITION OF KIPLING’S "A SONG OF THE ENGLISH", ILLUSTRATED BY THE GREAT W. HEATH ROBINSON. DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY. LANGUAGE: English PLACE AND YEAR OF PUBLICATION: London, [1909], Hodder & Stoughton. FIRST TRADE EDITION. SIZE AND PAGINATION: Dimensions: Large Quarto, 28,7 x 22,4 cm. Thickness: 4,5 cm. Pagination: Unpaginated / ~128 pp. Illustrations: 30 tipped-in colour plates with descriptive tissue guards, each with a miniature line illustration. Pictorial title and 59 numerous black-and-white drawings throughout (half-page or smaller). Title printed in red and black. Weight: 1,8 kg. A very good copy of the first trade edition. COMPLETE WORK. CONDITION: Original cloth binding, in good condition as shown in the photos. Spine and front cover decorated with beautiful gilt designs, featuring the title and the illustrator’s name, the great W. Heath Robinson. Interior in very good condition, as shown in the photos. This wonderful copy features 30 tipped-in colour plates with tissue guards. Please see photos to get a sense of the condition and marvelous art. A FINE AND DESIRABLE COPY FOR COLLECTORS. EXQUISITE AND HIGHLY SOUGHT-AFTER FIRST EDITION OF KIPLING’S "A SONG OF THE ENGLISH", ILLUSTRATED BY THE GREAT W. HEATH ROBINSON. DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY. SHIPPING POLICY: Shipping to Spain: via Zeleris Premium 24h or CORREOS Shipping to Europe: via UPS Express 48–72h / FedEx Express 48–72h (Transit times may be longer in some countries) Shipping to the United States: via UPS Express 48h / FedEx Express 48h (According to our clients, these carriers are less strict or do not apply the new 15% import tax on products) Shipping to China: via UPS Express 24h Shipping to the Rest of the World: via UPS Express 48h / FedEx Express 48h The book will be carefully packaged to ensure it enjoys a safe and comfortable journey to its new home.

Estimate:£126.91

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