[Vale Press] Pericles Prince of Tyre

England: Vale & Ballantyne Press For Hacon and Ricketts, 1900. 3rd Edition. A Very Good Hardcover. Very Good/No Dust Jacket As Issued.

Green cloth with blind-stamped design on the front and rear, spine title, top edge cut. The bindings are tight and square. Text clean, light even toning. Moderate shelf handling wear. Bump on the upper front corner, small soiling mark on top rear edge with mild hand-soiling; spine darkened; top spine band rubbed. 8vo; 9.25 inches tall (23.5 cm); ppi-v vi-lxxxiii lxxxiv; 7 blank leaves of the same paper.

Sold by Hacon and Ricketts, London and John Lane, New York. Seen through the press by T.S. More (1870-1944) and decorated by Charles Ricketts (1866-1931). One volume of Charles Rickett's 37 volume Editions of Shakespeare's works published between 1900- 1903. He designed the Avon type to be used in this massive production. It features a unique Pressmark imprint of an engraving tool tied with a flowing ribbon and two laurel branches in conjunction with a circular frame on which the letters 'VP' and the initials 'H and R', for Hacon and Ricketts.

The type was destroyed by Ricketts upon completion of the set's printing. There were 310 sets printed, 100 were for sale in America. The Vale Press, Works of Shakespeare are considered Rickett's masterpiece.

Background Information:
Richett's arranged to have the Vale Press publications printed at the Ballantyne Press as private press books by a carefully chosen selection of compositors, readers, pressmen and binders freed from the everyday demands of the press. [Watry] Charles Ricketts (1866-1931) was a British artist, illustrator, author and printer, known for his work as a book designer and typographer and for his costume and scenery designs for plays and operas.

Ricketts first made his mark in book production, first as an illustrator, and then as the founder and driving force of the Vale Press (1896-1904), one of the leading private presses of the day, for which he designed the type and illustrations. A disastrous fire at the printers led to the closure of the press, and Ricketts turned increasingly to painting and sculpture over the following two decades. [Tate]

Vale Press, celebrated British establishment for fine printing. It was one of the presses founded in London in 1896 during the revival of the art and craft of making books.

Ref: Waltry, p69-82; B44/10