AN ICONOGRAPHY OF THE ENGRAVINGS OF STEPHEN GOODEN

London: Elkin Mathews Ltd, 1944. No. 46 OF 160 COPIES Specially Bound and WITH A SIGNED PROOF ENGRAVING. 255 x 190 mm. (10 x 7 1/2"). xv, 196 pp., [1] leaf.
Publisher's quarter vellum over royal blue buckram, upper cover with a gilt owl centerpiece, smooth spine with gilt lettering. In the (slightly foxed) original white cloth slipcase. With 187 black & white photographic reproductions of Gooden engravings and etchings; a signed proof engraving dated 1943 bound in at front. ◆As new.

This is a retrospective look at one of the greatest book illustrators of the 20th century. Educated at Rugby and at the Slade School of Art, Gooden (1892-1955) served in World War I before becoming, in Dodgson's words, "the first young engraver of the twentieth century who attempted in England . . . to use the burin as an instrument for engraving romantic and imaginative compositions invented by himself." Fascinated from childhood with the idea of illustrating books, he began his career with the 1923 Nonesuch Press Anacreon. In all, he illustrated 20 books, most notably "Aesop's Fables," "The Fables of Jean de la Fontaine," and the Nonesuch Bible. His imagination and his skill in portraying animals made him an especially gifted illustrator of fables and other fanciful stories. He could portray an animal quite realistically, and still imbue it with recognizable human expressions and traits. In the proof engraving included here, we see a monkey perched on a chair, in a very simian posture, wearing a topcoat ornamented with passementerie and saluting us cheekily with his feather cap. Gooden also created bookplates, including those for the Queen Mother and the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Those bookplates are reproduced here, along with sample illustrations for his works, a couple in various states that allow us to appreciate his work process. The book opens very stiffly, shows no signs of use inside or out, and even retains that "new book" smell..