Morte d'Arthur

Illustrator Aubrey Vincent Beardsley British

1893

Not on view

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

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Title: Morte d'Arthur
Author: Sir Thomas Malory (British, 1415/18–1471)
Illustrator: Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (British, Brighton, Sussex 1872–1898 Menton)
Date: 1893
Culture: London: J. M. Dent and Co., 1893
Medium: Illustrated book
Dimensions: 12 pts.; H: 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)
Object Number: 920.84 M292
Curatorial Department: Thomas J. Watson Library

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