The Art of Book Design: Flowers of Evil

Charles Beaudelaire. Flowers of Evil. Translated by C. Bower Alcock. Illustrated by Beresford Egan. New York, Sylvan Press, 1947.

Flowers of Evil, illustrated by Beresford Egan, Title Page

Flowers of Evil, Illustrations by Beresford Egan, Page 35

Flowers of Evil, Illustrations by Beresford Egan, Page 45

The Flowers of Evil (Les Fleurs de Mal) by Beaudelaire was one of Caine’s favourite books and a special edition of it was gifted to her by Marcus. (stderr) The edition that she received was printed in limited quantities in 1947 with artwork by Beresford Egan and that’s Marcus in the first picture holding a copy of the same book he sent to Caine. The next 2 photos are Marcus displaying 2 of the interior plates to the book. Caine published several illustrations from the book on the blog and always noted how much she enjoyed the exaggerated forms and dark, macabre style of Egan. I’ve included the rest of the illustrations in the book below the fold.

Illustrations via: Retro Sixty, Modern British Art

There are several other editions of this book available to read at The Internet Archive. If you desire to read this edition by Beresford Egan you will need to open an (free) account at The Internet Archive and formally borrow the book.

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The Art of Book Design: Salome

Oscar Wilde. Salome. Illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley. London : John Lane, the Bodley Head ; New York : John Lane Co., 1907.

Aubrey Beardsley was one of Caine’s favourite artists from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco periods. Beardsley was commissioned directly by Oscar Wilde for this edition of Salome. Wilde felt that Beardsley’s modern, dark and macabre style captured the true spirit of the book.

I’ve included all the interior plates below the fold and they are deliciously grim and gruesome. The entire book can be viewed at The Internet Archive.

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Baby Ravens are Adorable

We’ve gotten some wonderful pictures of baby ravens from Anne, Cranky Cat Lady. Her daughter Emily Davis took the photos and Anne has been kind enough to share them with us.

…they run from the first time she spotted the nest through their fledging.  They were still being fed by the parents at that point, even though they were almost adult-sized.

These are your basic Common Raven (Corvus corax), also known as the Northern Raven.  The nest was in La Jolla, on the UC San Diego campus in Southern California

May 16/19, ©Emily Davis, all rights reserved

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The Art of Book Design: The Miroir

This week I’ll be featuring books with art that Caine would enjoy. This first book is in homage to Caine’s mastery and love of needlework.

The Miroir or Glasse of the Synneful Soul, copied in her own hand by Princess Elizabeth when just 11 years old (1544) and Presented to her stepmother Katherine Parr. Featured in English Embroidered Book-bindings (1899) – source

 

via:The Public Domain Review

The Art of Book Design: Korean Fairy Tales

William Elliot Griffis. Korean Fairy Tales. New York, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1922.

It’s Fairy Tale Saturday and this week our book tells tales from the country of Korea. The author, William Griffis, lived and taught in Japan for many years and wrote many serious books on Japan and Japanese Culture. Mr. Griffis was brought to Japan in 1870 to assist in the modernization of Japanese Schools. He became a respected educator and author within Japan and was twice honored with the Order of the Rising Sun – in 1907 with the Gold Rays with Rosette and in 1926 with the higher honor of Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon.

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The Art of Book Design: Bound by a Spell

Hon. Mrs. Greene (Louisa Lelias Plunket). Bound by a Spell; or, The Hunted Witch of the Forest. London, Paris, New York & Melbourne: Cassell & Company, Limited, 1885. Illustrations by Gordon Browne. First edition.

I chose today’s book cover mostly because of the snow. I thought it would be nice on a hot day. Brrr…

 

Photo via: L.W. Currey, Inc.

The book is available to read at The Internet Archive

The Art of Book Design: Are We a Stupid People, by One of Them

Charles Joseph Weld-Blundell. Are We a Stupid People, by One of Them. London; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co. Ltd., 1908.

A book of commentary about the social and moral conditions in Britain at the turn of the last century.

 

Cover photo via: Nemfrog

The book is available to read at The Internet Archive