[Rarebooks] Offering: William Morris: Collected Works in 26 (24 + 2) Volumes

Thu May 7 20:01:33 EDT 2009

MORRIS, WILLIAM.

THE COLLECTED WORKS OF WILLIAM MORRIS. With Introductions by His 
Daughter May Morris. 24 volumes [along with] WILLIAM MORRIS: ARTIST 
WRITER SOCIALIST by May Morris. 2 volumes. Altogether, 26 volumes.

London: Longmans Green and Company, 1910-1915 and Oxford: Basil 
Blackwell. 1936. First editions. Octavo, light blue boards with linen 
spines and printed paper spine labels. Limited to 1,050 numbered 
copies, the final two volumes limited to 750 sets. This collected 
works is enhanced by the introductory notes by Morris's daughter May 
Morris "When May Morris undertook to edit and write the Introduction 
for the Collected Works of William Morris, she brought to her task 
the insights of an intelligent, sympathetic observer who shared the 
life of her subject for many years. Furthermore, she was able to 
consult persons who had long been close to her father, and she had 
access to a large number of his letters." - John Riggs Dunlap, in the 
Introduction to the 1973 edition of May Morris's introductory notes. 
Each volume is illustrated with a frontispiece plate plus at least 
one additional plate depicting photographs, letters, manuscripts, 
maps and printing by Morris. Many of the plates are ORIGINAL WOODCUTS 
produced especially for these volumes, the remainder are generally 
high-quality photogravures.

Contents:
Vol. 1: The Defense of Guinevere and Other Poems, pp. 1-145; The 
Hollow Land and Other Contributions to the Oxford and Cambridge 
Magazine, pp. 147-372. Illustrations: Portrait of William Morris from 
an Early Drawing by Himself; Facsimile of a draft page of Golden Wings.

Vol. 2: The Life and Death of Jason. 266pp. Illustrations: Portrait 
of William Morris from a photograph made in 1870; Portrait of Miss 
Jane Burden from a pencil drawing by William Morris made in 1858; 
Facsimile of verses to preface Jason in The Earthly Paradise; 
Facsimile page from the Jason manuscript.

Vol. 3: The Earthly Paradise - I. 266pp. Illustrations: Portrait of 
William Morris at the age of thirty-seven, painted by G.F. Watts, 
R.A.; Facsimile of a wood-engraving for the title page of The Earthly 
Paradise, engraved by William Morris from a design by Edward 
Burne-Jones; Facsimile from the manuscript of The Earthly Paradise: March.

Vol. 4: The Earthly Paradise - II. 255pp. Illustrations: The 
Water-Willow (a Portrait of Mrs. William Morris) painted by Dante 
Gabriel Rossetti; Psyche at the entrance to Hades, designed by Edward 
Burne-Jones, engraved on wood by William Morris; Psyche in Charon's 
Boat, designed by Edward Burne-Jones, engraved on wood by William 
Morris; Kelmscott Manor looking East, from a drawing by F.L. Griggs, 
1910; Facsimile from the manuscript of The Earthly Paradise: draft 
page of Cupid and Psyche.

Vol. 5: The Earthly Paradise - III. 396pp. Illustrations: Mrs. 
William Morris, from the painting by Dante Gabriel Rossetti; 
Kelmscott Manor, from the garden door, from a drawing by F.L. Griggs; 
Facsimile from the draft manuscript of "The Lovers of Gundrun"; 
Facsimile from the manuscript of "The Earthly Paradise:" "The Ring 
given to Venus".

Vol. 6: The Earthly Paradise - IV. 333pp. Illustrations: Jenny 
Morris, from the chalk drawing by Dante Gabriel Rossetti; May Morris, 
from the chalk drawing by Dante Gabriel Rossetti; Facsimile of an 
unpublished "Hill of Venus" MS.

Vol. 7: The Story of Grettir the Strong, pp. 1-279; The Story of the 
Volsungs and Niblungs, pp. 281-396; Songs from the Elder Edda pp. 
397-490. Illustrations: William Morris, from a photograph made in 
1876; Map of the West of Iceland (folding woodcut).

Vol. 8: Journals of Travel in Iceland, 1871-1873. 251pp. 
Illustrations: William Morris, from a photograph by Elliott & Fry, 
1877; The Arms of Iceland; Facsimile page of the manuscript; Map of 
the North-East of Iceland, to illustrate the journey of 1873; Map of 
West Iceland, to illustrated the author's journey of 1871 (large 
folding woodcut printed in black & red).

Vol. 9: Love is Enough, pp 1-89; Poems by the Way, pp 91-284. 
Illustrations: Artemis: design by William Morris for one of the 
figures in the Red House embroidered hangings; Borders and initial 
letters for a projected edition of Love is Enough, drawn and engraved 
by William Morris (and one by Edward Burne-Jones; Facsimile of a page 
of Lancelot du Lac; Facsimile of writing in a copy of the Morte Darthur.

Vol. 10: Three Northern Love Stories; pp. 1-172; Beowulf, pp. 
173-284. Illustrations: Group of the Burne-Jones and Morris families 
photographed at the Grange in 1874 by Frederick Hollyer; One of a 
series of angels painted on the roof of Jesus College Chapel, 
Cambridge, from the original cartoon designed by William Morris.

Vol. 11: The Aenids of Virgil. 286pp. Illustrations: Iris and Turnus: 
design by Edward Burne-Jones made for the decoration of the Virgil 
written and painted by William Morris. From a drawing in the 
possession of J.R. Holliday, Esq.; Aeneas and the Harpies, design by 
Edward Burne-Jones made for the sam manuscript. From a drawing in the 
possession of J.R. Holliday, Esq.; Page from the Odes of Horace 
manuscript written and painted by William Morris, Lib.I, Carmen xxvj 
(printed in colours).

Vol. 12: The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the 
Niblungs. 309pp. Illustration: William Morris, from a photograph 
taken by Abel Lewis, 1880.

Vol. 13: The Odyssey of Homer. 362pp. Illustrations: The Library, 
Kelmscott House, Hammersmith, from a photograph made in 1896; 
Kelmscott House in 1896, from the garden, from a drawing by F.L. Griggs.

Vol. 14: The House of the Wolfings, pp. 1-208; The Story of the 
Glittering Plain, pp. 209-324. Illustrations: William Morris, from a 
photograph by Frederick Hollyer done in 1887; Cabinet, the marriage 
gift of Edward Burne-Jones to William Morris and his Wife.

Vol. 15: The Roots of the Mountains. 411pp. Illustrations: William 
Morris, from a photograph by Emery Walker done in 1889; Three pages 
of Kelmscott Press type: a. The Golden type, from an unprinted 
lecture, "The Early Literature of the North"; b. The Troy type, from 
an unfinished romance; c. The Chaucer type, from The Earthly 
Paradise: "The story of Acontius and Cydippe".

Vol. 16: News from Nowhere, pp. 1-211; A Dream of John Ball, pp. 
213-288; A King's Lesson, pp. 289-297. Illustrations: William 
Morris's bed at Kelmscott, from a photograph by Mr. F.H. Evans; La 
Belle Iseult, painted by William Morris in 1858 (this picture has 
been called Queen Guenevere).

Vol. 17: The Wood Beyond the World, pp. 1-130; Child Christopher & 
Goldilind the Fair, pp. 131-261; Old French Romances, pp. 263-351; 
The Ordination of Knighthood, pp. 353-366. Illustrations: William 
Morris, a pencil study for the head of David in the altar-picture at 
Llandaff Cathedral, by D.G. Rossetti, belonging to the Municipal 
Gallery of Birmingham; Mrs. William Morris, a pencil study for the 
head of the Virgin in the altar-picture at Llandaff Cathedral, by 
D.G. Rossetti, belonging to Mrs. William Morris.

Vol. 18: The Well at the World's End - I. 336pp. Illustrations: Tithe 
Barn (exterior) at Great Coxwell, Berkshire; Tithe Barn (interior) at 
Great Coxwell, Berkshire; From photographs made by Mr. Frederick H. 
Evans and kindly lent by him.

Vol. 19: The Well at the World's End - II. 245pp. Illustrations: Mrs. 
William Morris (circa 1865), from a drawing by D.G. Rossetti, 
belonging to Mr. Sydney Carlyle Cockerell; Membership Card for 
Democratic Federation, designed by William Morris, from the original 
blocks (woodcut printed in black & red); The Meeting Room, Kelmscott 
House, 1896.

Vol. 20: The Water of the Wondrous Isles. 387pp. Illustrations: 
William Morris, aet. 53, from a photograph by Mr. Frederick Hollyer; 
Mrs. Morris, senior, 1879, from a photograph by R. Faulkner & Co. She 
died December 8th, 1894; Edward Burne-Jones, 1896, from a photograph 
by Mr. Frederick Hollyer.

Vol. 21: The Sundering Flood, pp1-250; Unfinished Romances, pp. 
153-437. Illustrations: The Grave at Kelmscott, from the design by 
Philip Webb; Facsimiles of initial words "Empty" and "Wilom" for the 
Water of the Wondrous Isles (Parts 1 and 3), being the last designs 
made for the Kelmscott Press. The word "Empty" was finished, but 
"Wilom" was only drawn in and was completed by Mr. Catterson Smith; 
Map of the country of The Sundering Flood.

Vol. 22: Hopes and Fears for Art, pp. 1-152; Lectures on Art and 
Industry, pp. 153-437. Illustrations: Pages from FitzGerald's 
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, written and illuminated by William Morris in 1872.

Vol. 23: Signs of Change, pp. 1-140; Lectures on Socialism, 
pp.141-281. Illustrations: The Upper Mall, Hammersmith, in 1895, from 
a photograph by Emery Walker; The Drawing Room, Kelmscott House, 
Hammersmith, from a photograph by Emery Walker.

Vol. 24: Early Poems, Scenes from the Fall of Troy, pp. 1-83; Poems 
of the Earthly Paradise, pp. 85-0366; Late Poems, pp. 367-417. 
Illustrations: Portrait of William Morris aged 23, from a photograph; 
Reduced facsimile of a page from the Kelmscott Press Chaucer, page 58.

[Vol. 25]: William Morris, Artist Writer Socialist. Volume the First: 
The Art of William Morris [comprising] Introduction pp. 1-99; Papers 
Chiefly on Art and the Crafts pp. 101-371; William Morris as a Writer 
[comprising] Introduction pp. 373-516; Juvenilia pp. 517-532; Poems 
of the Earthly Paradise Period pp. 532-543; From the Icelandic pp. 
543-636; Appendix: Letters pp 639-673. The Illustrations: Portrait of 
William Morris c. 1870 by C. Fairfax Murray; The Memorial Hall, 
Kelmscott. Drawn by F.L. Griggs, R.A.; Mr Morris reading poems to Mr 
Burne-Jones. Drawn by E. Burne-Jones; Syrinx and Psyche. Wood 
Engraving by William Morris after a drawing by E. Burne-Jones.

[Vol. 26]: William Morris, Artist Writer Socialist. Volume the 
Second: Morris as a Socialist, With an Account of William Morris as I 
Knew Him by Bernard Shaw [comprising] Morris as I knew Him by Bernard 
Shaw, pp. ix-xl; Part I: Introductory, pp. 1-50; Part II: Modern 
Socialism, pp. 51-275; Part III: Politics and Socialism, pp. 275-327; 
Part IV: Changed Times, pp. 328-370; Lectures, Articles and Letters 
by William Morris, pp. 370-606; Appendices (including Errata and 
Index to the Collected Works), pp. 607-661. The Illustrations: 
William Morris's Grave in Kelmscott Churchyard. From a drawing by 
F.L. Griggs, R.A.; William Morris engraving a Wood Block for The 
Earthly Paradise, sketched by E. Burne-Jones.

Condition: Very good clean copies, internally about fine. Some minor 
wear to corners of some volumes; minor scuffing to boards; a few 
labels chipped. Minor dampstain to lower spine of Vol. 15, not 
affecting anything. Mostly unopened throughout, each volume with the 
spare printed spine label inserted. The last two volumes (25 & 26) 
are clean ex-library copies (Hill Reference Library, St.

Paul), with call numbers neatly penned in ink on the spines and the 
library name perforated at the lower edge of the title pages, small 
marks on rear endpapers: just about the cleanest ex-library copies 
you'll ever see. These final two volumes are very scarce and almost 
never included in the full set; being published a quarter-century 
after the preceding volumes.

These volumes are commonly found tarted up in fancy (or even gaudy) 
leather bindings, as the original Kelmscott-style blue board and 
linen spine bindings are considered 'plain'. They are, however, 
perfectly suited to the texts; as they are perfect arts & crafts 
style bindings.

John Walsdorf, in his work 'William Morris in Private Press and 
Limited Editions' (1980) quotes the New York Tribune review of this 
set: "The present volumes, beautiful in every detail, are first and 
last meant to be read. It would be hard to beat them. Paper and type 
are perfect. In shape, size and weight, these volumes give the reader 
ease and give him pleasure. Charming to look upon they are too, with 
their sides of light blue boards, their linen backs, and their paper 
labels. The illustrations, portraits, views, facsimiles, and so on, 
have been flawlessly made... In short, Morris here receives a tribute 
which would have warmed his soul, and for which every one of those 
readers who cherish his genius is bound to be grateful." Walsdorf 
furthers this with his comments: "High praise indeed, but well 
deserved and one would be hard pressed to consider a publishing 
venture of this magnitude today - to be carried out with the same 
quality as described in the Tribune review."

$2800.00 US.
Terms: As usual. Post extra.

---
Michael John Thompson
ABAC / ILAB
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