Morte d'Arthur

This edition of Sir Thomas Malory's "Morte d'Arthur" was published in 1892 by J. M. Dent. Unlike the more elitist fine presses of the time, such as Kelmscott and Doves, Dent produced books priced to be accessible to a large audience. Titles were mass-produced and costs were kept to a minimum by utilizing the latest methods of mechanical reproduction. Bindings were likewise a low-cost item, often of heavy paper stock mechanically printed, as in the Library's complete, twelve-installment example.

This edition was illustrated by the young Aubrey Beardsley. His style of illustration at the time, with its elegant lines executed in high-contrast black and white, perfectly fit Dent's production values. With this work Beardsley found a broad popular audience—it was, in fact, this project that allowed him to give up his day job as an officeworker and pursue an artistic career.

Illustrated: part 1, printed paper wrapper