{"product_id":"saint-joan-a-chronicle-play-in-six-scenes-and-an-epilogue-first-illustrated-edition","title":"Saint Joan: A Chronicle Play in Six Scenes and an Epilogue (First Illustrated Edition)","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSHAW, George Bernard\u003c\/strong\u003e (illus. \u0026amp; stage settings Charles Ricketts). \u003cem\u003eSaint Joan: A Chronicle Play in Six Scenes and an Epilogue.\u003c\/em\u003e London: Constable and Co. Ltd., 1924.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eLarge Folio (395 × 281 mm). Quarter cloth and illustrated boards. Paper title labels to spine and front cover. Top edge gilt; others uncut. [ii], v, [1], 182, [1] pp. 16 plates tipped-in throughout, each with a caption page preceding it: 12 in full colour; 4 in black and white (stage settings). Illustrated pictorial dust wrapper with Ricketts's design in blue. Printed on Batchelor's handmade paper by R \u0026amp; R Clark, Edinburgh. \u003cstrong\u003eFirst illustrated edition. One of 750 unnumbered copies. First illustrated edition of any work by George Bernard Shaw. Published 2 October 1924.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSaint Joan\u003c\/em\u003e was Shaw's most sustained engagement with history and, in the view of many critics, his greatest work. The play tells the story of Joan of Arc as a practical genius of military and political organisation, born too early into a world that lacks the categories for what she is. She is a proto-Protestant in a Catholic world, a nationalist in a feudal world, and a person of individual conscience in a world governed by institutional authority.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe London premiere of \u003cem\u003eSaint Joan\u003c\/em\u003e was given on 26 March 1924 at the New Theatre, with Sybil Thorndike — for whom Shaw had written the role — creating Joan in a performance that established the play's canonical status before the illustrated edition reached its readers in October. The following year, the Nobel Committee awarded Shaw the Nobel Prize for Literature, citing \u003cem\u003eSaint Joan\u003c\/em\u003e specifically in their deliberations. This edition, the first illustrated edition of any of Shaw's works, was published into that context: a volume produced with the conscious understanding that the text it contained was one of the major plays of the century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThis special edition of the publication features illustrations and stage settings by Charles Ricketts. Ricketts (1866–1931) was the foremost book designer and decorative artist of the English Aesthetic movement — the co-founder, with Charles Shannon, of the Vale Press, which published between 1896 and 1904 some of the most beautiful hand-printed books in the British tradition. His stage designs were renowned for their chromatic richness and historical imagination. On display in this work are 16 chromatic plates of his designs, beautifully presented and a perfect accompaniment to the play.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVery good. \u003c\/strong\u003eDust jacket toned and chipped along edges, particularly at spine ends — as is characteristic of this edition. Some rubbing and wear along edges of cover boards. Internally bright, clean, and near fine. Plates show slight curling at lower corners, the characteristic vulnerability of this book in any copy. However, they are entirely free from creasing, which is notably uncommon. Colour remains bold and vivid throughout.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlease note: This is a large volume. Additional postage costs may apply. If so, we will contact you after purchase.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThis book is currently not on display in store.\u003cbr\u003eIf you would like more information or to arrange a viewing, please contact: \u003ca href=\"mailto:rarebooks@harryhartog.com.au\" title=\"Harry Hartog Rare Book Department\"\u003erarebooks@harryhartog.com.au\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Number: HH000628\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"George Bernard Shaw","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49270043934963,"sku":null,"price":750.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/4284\/5939\/files\/1_efb4a431-2068-4fa4-a953-34ae4e2e227b.png?v=1784011975","url":"https:\/\/www.harryhartog.com.au\/products\/saint-joan-a-chronicle-play-in-six-scenes-and-an-epilogue-first-illustrated-edition","provider":"Harry Hartog Bookseller","version":"1.0","type":"link"}