George Moore — Ulick and Soracha

London, The Nonesuch Press, 1926. First edition. Cloth. A first edition copy of George Moore's novel, 'Ulick and Soracha', held in the original dustwrapper. First edition. Limited edition, number 384 of 1,250. Signed by the author. The dustwrapper is designed by Marion V. Dorn. The dust wrapper is of a smaller size than the book, as is usual. The engraving is by Stephen Gooden. George Augustus Moore (1852 –1933) was an Irish novelist, short-story writer, poet, art critic, memoirist and dramatist. As a naturalistic writer, he was amongst the first English-language authors to absorb the lessons of the French realists, and was particularly influenced by the works of Émile Zola. His writings influenced James Joyce, according to the literary critic and biographer Richard Ellmann, and, although Moore's work is sometimes seen as outside the mainstream of both Irish and British literature, he is as often regarded as the first great modern Irish novelist. Marion V. Dorn (1896–1964) was a designer. Stephen Frederick Gooden (1892–1955) was an engraver. Gooden worked chiefly as a book illustrator, beginning in 1923 with the Nonesuch Press Anacreon. He contributed to twenty works, notably the The Fables of Jean de la Fontaine, and Aesop's Fables. In addition, Gooden designed and engraved more than forty bookplates, including those for Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth, and Princess Margaret, and four for the Royal Library, Windsor Castle. In a full cloth binding with gilt lettering, bevelled edges and unclipped dust wrapper. Externally smart. Light bumping and rubbing the head and tail of the spine and also to the extremities. Dustwrapper is smart. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are generally clean with the occasional handling mark. Very Good . Ill.: None. Very Good .