Reynard the Fox
Boston: Dana Estes & Co., 1901. First edition. 8vo. xi, 186pp. Illustrated throughout by Jo Mora with 24 full-page drawings (including frontispiece with tissue guard) in monotone and black & white in-text vignettes and head & tale-pieces. Original yellow-tan cloth with orange fox decoration to spine and front board; orange baby fox on lower rear board; black lettering; pictorial color banner (different images) down inside front and rear covers. A very good copy (minor wear to extremities; light soiling; front hinge just starting to split; previous owner gift inscription). Item #23552
A version of the famous beast fable, “Reynard the Fox,” one of the most ancient stories in existence. The original, of which the present poem is a translation, is a burlesque narrative in low-German verse, dated 1481, or eleven years before the discovery of America. It was one of the first works printed in Germany, and by pointing out in poignant satire many of the vices of the Roman Church of that day, it did as much as the works of Erasmus, Rabelais and Boccaccio to pave the way for the Reformation. This German poem has never lost its popularity; from the fifteenth to the end of the eighteenth century not fewer than twenty-two editions of the original were published, besides translations into nearly every language of Europe. One liberty with the original was taken by the translator—the scene of the action having been transplanted for obvious reasons from Germany to England. (The Medieval Bestiary). This edition is charmingly illustrated with Jo Mora's signature well-appointed and delightful animals. (Grandeau & Shorts Books A2).
Price: $250.00