ATALANTA IN CALYDON

(VELLUM PRINTING). (RICCARDI PRESS). SWINBURNE, ALGERNON CHARLES

Published by Printed in the Riccardi Press fount by the Chiswick Press for the Medici Society Ltd, London, 1923

About this Item

236 x 164 mm. (9 1/4 x 6 1/2"). xix, [1], 79, [5] pp. Publisher's limp vellum, gilt lettering to upper cover and flat spine, four original green silk ties. Printer's device on final leaf. Front free endpaper with ex-libris of L. W. Jordan Jr. Tomkinson, p. 153; Ransom, p. 397. Half a dozen pages with naturally occurring darker grain on the hair side of the vellum, otherwise A PRISTINE COPY inside and out. Looking much as it did the day it left the press, this is one of the especially sought-after luxury editions printed on vellum by the Riccardi Press of the Medici Society between 1909-24. First published in 1865 to great acclaim, this dramatic work of verse by Swinburne (1837-1909) is based on the Greek myth of the Calydonian boar hunt. In it, Meleager, the huntress Atalanta, and other heroes from across Greece battle a monstrous boar sent by Artemis to punish the city of Calydon, whose king had neglected to pay the goddess her proper tribute. Meleager's decision to award Atalanta the boar's pelt sparks outrage among the male hunters, and the ensuing fallout eventually leads to the tragic death of Meleager at the hands of his own mother. Britannica tells us that, in this piece, Swinburne "attempted to re-create in English the spirit and form of Greek tragedy" in "Atalanta," and that "his lyric powers are at their finest in this work." Founded by Herbert Horne, the Riccardi Press was adopted as the imprint of the Medici Society in 1909 and issued books until 1933. According to Tomkinson, "the books have nearly all been printed at the Chiswick Press (under the supervision of Charles T. Jacobi until his retirement in 1922) and published by Philip Lee Warner, who was Publisher to the Medici Society until his death in 1925. . . . The aim of the Press has been to produce finely printed books at reasonable prices and for sale through the ordinary channels of trade. . . . All editions are strictly limited, and the type is distributed after the edition has been printed." This copy is close to pristine, with no signs of wear, and it features beautiful, buttery soft vellum leaves that offer a very pleasurable tactile experience. No. 9 OF 12 COPIES ON VELLUM, of which 10 were for sale (and 1,025 copies on paper, 1,000 of them for sale). Seller Inventory # ST19902

Bibliographic Details

Title: ATALANTA IN CALYDON

Publisher: Printed in the Riccardi Press fount by the Chiswick Press for the Medici Society Ltd, London

Publication Date: 1923