Charles Dickens — A Christmas Carol

London, William Heinemann, 1915. First edition. Cloth. A lovely first edition of Rackham's illustrated Christmas Carol, with his beautiful ink and watercolour illustrations throughout. A first trade edition of this work, published by Lippincottin in the United States during the same year. With the first edition issue point of '1915' to the verso of the title page, as stated by Riall in 'A New Bibliography of Arthur Rackham&apos. Lacking the first issue point of the frontispiece mounted on dark green paper.  Bound in the publisher"s original mauve cloth with gilt embossment. Illustrated with twelve, trichromatic, coloured plates and a further twenty in text, vignette line drawings in India ink. Each plate with a delicate glassine sheet and a relevant quotation printed to the bottom. Collated, complete. Master of children"s illustrations, Rackham"s style was deeply influenced by early nineteenth-century Japanese woodblock tradition, fused with traditional northern European, Nordic art.Rackham's thoughtfully presented edition of Dicken"s familiar moral, Christmas tale is entirely characteristic of his work, with hauntingly beautiful illustrations. In original publisher"s cloth. Externally, smart. Light shelf wear to extremities, slight bumping to head and tail of spine. Minor sunning to spine. The odd mark to boards. Scattered spotting and light offsetting to end papers. Internally, hinge starting but firmly bound. Pages bright and clean with mild age toning. The odd spot to pages or fore edge. Ink inscription to upper half title. Glassine sheets all present. Very Good Indeed . Ill.: Arthur Rackham. Very Good Indeed .