
Twelfth Night
Illustrated by Eric Ravilious
William Shakespeare(Author)
Bodleian Library (Publisher)
Published on 25. April 2024
Book
Hardback
96 pages
978-1-85124-624-3 (ISBN)
Description
Together with a newly commissioned introduction, this book includes a facsimile of one of Eric Ravilious's finest illustrated works, first published by the Golden Cockerel Press in 1932 in a limited print run and now considered a masterpiece of typography and illustration.
Artist and illustrator Eric Ravilious was fascinated with Elizabethan and Jacobean poetry and drama, both as literature and as visual inspiration. His playful wood engravings depict characters such as Viola, Sebastian, Sir Toby Belch and Malvolio in period costume on imaginary stages or in garden scenes. Decorative borders and vignettes enliven the pages.
The Golden Cockerel Press, owned by Robert Gibbings, himself an engraver, was famous for limited-edition, hand-printed books that benefited from the revival of wood engraving after the First World War. The introduction by Alan Powers tells how this edition, growing out of a wider Shakespeare revival, was nearly derailed by the consequences of the economic Depression and how the resourcefulness and determination of those involved with the Press brought about this extraordinary version of Shakespeare's much-loved comedy.
Artist and illustrator Eric Ravilious was fascinated with Elizabethan and Jacobean poetry and drama, both as literature and as visual inspiration. His playful wood engravings depict characters such as Viola, Sebastian, Sir Toby Belch and Malvolio in period costume on imaginary stages or in garden scenes. Decorative borders and vignettes enliven the pages.
The Golden Cockerel Press, owned by Robert Gibbings, himself an engraver, was famous for limited-edition, hand-printed books that benefited from the revival of wood engraving after the First World War. The introduction by Alan Powers tells how this edition, growing out of a wider Shakespeare revival, was nearly derailed by the consequences of the economic Depression and how the resourcefulness and determination of those involved with the Press brought about this extraordinary version of Shakespeare's much-loved comedy.
Reviews / Votes
This stunning clothbound reproduction, which includesan introduction by Alan Powers, illustrates Ravilious'
virtuoso skills as a wood engraver and his fascination
with Elizabethan poetry. -- Angela Wintle * Book of the Month * This stunning clothbound reproduction, which includes
an introduction by Alan Powers, illustrates Ravilious'
virtuoso skills as a wood engraver and his fascination
with Elizabethan poetry. -- Angela Wintle * Book of the Month * No admirer of Eric Ravilious or of the Golden Cockerel Press should be without it! -- Jeremy Greenwood
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
79 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 271 mm
Width: 196 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
560 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-85124-624-3 (9781851246243)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) was a British painter, book illustrator and designer. He is known for his depictions of south-east England and also of urban scenes of the interwar period, and was an outstanding wood engraver. He died in the Second World War.
Alan Powers has published widely on twentieth-century design and architecture. He has curated numerous exhibitions, including an exhibition on Ravilious at the Imperial War Museum in 2003. He is the author of Eric Ravilious: Imagined Realities (2003) and Eric Ravilious, Artist and Designer (2013).
Alan Powers has published widely on twentieth-century design and architecture. He has curated numerous exhibitions, including an exhibition on Ravilious at the Imperial War Museum in 2003. He is the author of Eric Ravilious: Imagined Realities (2003) and Eric Ravilious, Artist and Designer (2013).