London: Macmillan & Co., 1917

Large 4to, pp. 309. Original vellum boards, lettered and with vignettes in gilt to front panel and spine. Top edge gilt, leading and lower edges uncut. Slight general darkening to boards with small area of abrasion to front panel, but a very well preserved copy.

No. 124 OF FIVE HUNDRED COPIES OF THE DELUXE EDITION, SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR. Abridged from Thomas Malory's Morte d'Arthur by Alfred W. Pollard.

'The Romance of King Arthur was another wartime book, commissioned [...] to reflect -- and cash in upon -- the nation's mood of patriotism and martial endeavour. In preparing for the commission, Rackham turned to his own copy of the Beardsley Morte d'Arthur [J.M. Dent, 1893-4] and, following the pattern of the Beardsley version, drew square and rectangular chapter headings to be set at irregular intervals up and down the pages. As in Beardsley, these have a stark black and white wood-block appearance, though Rackham cannot resist the occasional wryly humorous touch such as a barking dog or a jester's head. [...] Rackham's work became balm for wounded soldiers, as one mother wrote: 'I am urged to write to you by my son who is wildly fond of your work: and when he was getting better from very bad wounds near Ypres, your illustrations of Books were his great joy and delight'.' (James Hamilton, Arthur Rackham: A Life with Illustration, Pavilion 1990.)