Thursday 18 April 2013

Question: What do Edmund Dulac and Sindbad the Sailor have in Common?

Answer; this book!

The deluxe presentation of Dulac's illustrations to Sindbad the Sailor and Other Stories from The Arabian Nights (1914) published by Hodder & Stoughton. 23 wonderful colour illustrations mounted as tipped-in plates within ornamental black-and gold-stamped borders.

Sindbad The Sailor entertains Sindbad the Landsman

The episode of the Rokh

Sindbad the Sailor and the old man of the sea

Aladdin and the Efrite

The nuptial dance of Aladdin and the Lady Bedr-el-Budur

The Lady Bedr-el-Budur at her bath

The story of the three calenders; The porter and the ladies

The Prince meets a noble lady in the underground palace

The Prince is taken back to the Golden Palace by magic black horse

Tales appearing within Sindbad the Sailor and Other Stories from The Arabian Nights include: Sindbad the Sailor; Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp; The Story of the Three Calenders; and The Sleeper Awakened.

This edition of Sindbad the Sailor is now sold, thank you for your interest.


Born in France, Edmund Dulac began his career by studying law at the University of Toulouse. He also studied art, switching to it full time after winning prizes at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He spent a very brief period at the Academie Julian in Paris in 1904 before moving to London.
In London, he was commissioned by the publisher J. M. Dent to illustrate Jane Eyre. He then began an association with Hodder & Stoughton who used his illustrations in several deluxe editions, publishing one a year. During World War I, he contributed to relief books, including King Albert’s Book (1914), Princess Mary’s Gift Book and, unusually, his own Edmund Dulac's Picture-Book for the French Red Cross (1915). Hodder and Stoughton also published The Dreamer of Dreams (1915) a work composed by the then Queen of Romania.
After the war, the deluxe edition illustrated book became a rarity and Dulac's career in this field was over. His last such books were Edmund Dulac's Fairy Book (1916), the Tanglewood Tales (1918) and The Kingdom of the Pearl (1920). His career continued in other areas, including newspaper caricatures, theatre costume and set design and portraiture. He continued to produce books until his death on the 25th May, 1953. Further reading Wikipedia

I love the grandeur and opulence of Dulac’s illustrations but what about you – love them or hate them or somewhere in between?

29 comments:

  1. Good morning Barbara and the March Hare! Oh how I wish I could tell you how much I adore all of these old stories and the illustrations that highlight them! I have a wonderful collection of books that we collected from British friends who had a great book shop in Marblehead, Massachusetts but who have gone back to England. Rare books with the most charming illustrations.

    Thank you for this haven of childhood and adulthood pleasure, Barbara! Anita

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    1. Good Morning Anita, the March Hare and I are delighted to see you! I just love book shops like that. I wonder if your friends will open one in the UK. I have an obsession with book shops, book fairs and book auctions (as you may be able to tell!) and can never resist visiting them.
      Thank you for your lovely comment.

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  2. Oh Barbara! We just crossed one another! I just came from visiting this gorgeous post, and then I found your comment. Well my dear, it has been a very sad several days and when these senseless things happen, especially to INNOCENT BYSTANDERS, we ask questions. In my attempt to write this poem, I had to put it in the voice of the child asking a simple question, but not the obvious....oh it tears me up.

    Have a bright day, love on. Anita

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    1. Then we should take that as a good omen for the rest of the day! Your poem is incredibly sad but beautiful; I so admire the way you write. I could actually hear a child speaking the words in my head.

      I hope your day is full of good things. Love Barbara.

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  4. How wonderful, such amazingly vibrant colours. I especially love the illustration of The porter and the ladies. I had a beautifully illustrated omnibus edition as a girl but, as an adult, made the mistake of lending it to a friend who allowed her daughter to read it in bed whilst drinking blackcurrant juice, the result being one ruined book which couldn't be replaced.

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  5. Oh dear that's just terrible, and I bet your poor friend felt awful! The illustrations really are a joy. I can't tell you how much fun it is to share them. Thanks for calling in.

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  6. This looks fabulous! It brings back so many memories of Arabian night tales I read as a child. Although the art here is not in my favourite style, I agree that these illustrations are very impressive! I'd love to see his other work. Thank you for sharing :)

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  7. Hi Sandy, it is pretty special. It’s been a while since I read any of the Arabian tales, but this book might just tempt me back! I wouldn't say the artwork is the best I've ever seen, but it certainly comes close. I prefer a softer style myself, but these have a way of drawing you right into the picture. I really appreciate your comment, thank you.

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  8. What lovely illustrations. I love the tales of Sinbad. These illustrations, though, I could just look at them all day.

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    1. Hi Donna, I will put you in the 'love them' category with me then! Thanks for calling in.

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  9. ~ Dear Barbara...I think there is some thing quite special about these books, most especially with the colour picture plates....some pictures are a little scary, but this all adds to the charm.
    I love the little grey rabbit (earlier post) much more though! some thing so cute about little rabbits in story books ( Peter being my favourite) thanks for kind words visits always, Barbara! I do hope your day was as lovely as you are! ~ love Maria x

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  10. The book looks great! I remember reading those stories when I was younger. The illustrations are very nice, and I think the art style goes well with the stories :)

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    1. Hi Hilde, I agree about the illustrations going with the stories. It feels as though Edmund Dulac read and enjoyed the Arabian nights. Sometimes you open a book and find the illustrations bear no relationship at all with the stories, but that's definitely not the case with this book.

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  11. Wow, what intricate pictures! I do not love them or hate them- but I do appreciate them and find them fascinating. Each picture has so much to look at and notice. :)

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    1. Hi Stephanie, you are absolutely right! I've been looking at them for a while now and I still keep finding things I hadn’t noticed previously. Thanks for calling in.

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  12. Beautiful! I especially love the genie and the winged horse - those wings are so unusual!

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    1. Hi Joleene, I hadn’t really studied the wings but now that I have I can’t work out how the horse would get any ‘lift’. Forwards and backwards movements would be OK, but I’m not sure about take off and landing!

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  13. Wow, he went all out with these illustrations! That is a whopping amount of detail!
    -Jamie
    ChatterBlossom

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    1. Hi Jamie, you are not wrong! Thanks for visiting.

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  14. Love them, of course! (Not my favourite style but still close to the 'like' range.) You find the best books, Barbara!

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    1. Hi Claudine, I totally agree. There are lots of things I like more, but you have to admire the amount of work that went into the making of these and the 'grand scale' of them. I enjoyed your visit!

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  15. These are magnificent Barbara. There is a wonderful collection of original manuscripts and artwork from the far and near East in a museum called the Chester Beatty Library (he was a wealthy American who bequeathed his collection to the Irish people as he lived here during the latter part of his life) housed at Dublin castle near to where I work. These illustrations remind me so much of the artwork in the collection which is centuries old. You can see the influence of the past in all these plates but at the same time a striking similarity to other early 20th century artists like Kay Nielsen and Charles Robinson - I love them!

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    1. Hello Sharon, thanks so much for the information re the Chester Beatty Library. I was completely ignorant of its existence before reading your comment but have just spent a very happy half-hour on the website. Some of the past and future exhibitions look really interesting. I would love to see the original manuscripts and the Costumes Parisiens coming in October. I am very envious!
      I had a feeling you would enjoy the Dulac illustrations as I know how much you like Kay Nielsen and these really are very reminiscent of that style.

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  16. I love this book, those illustrations are so well done they make me feel like I'm actually there. His work is amazing and there's no mistaking it.

    Thanks for showing this book Barbara, it's a real treat.

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  17. Sharing them is a treat for me too! Thanks for your lovely comment!

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  18. I think he must have been ahead of his time. I feeling an art-deco vibe which is like Erte from the late 20's and 30's.

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  19. Hi Eve, I’m in love! I’ve just looked up Erte or Romain de Tirtoff his illustrations are gorgeous. I’ve just pinned a couple to Pinterest so that I can keep track of them. Thanks so much for your comment; it’s wonderful to discover a new illustrator.

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I really appreciate your comment. Thank you!
Barbara xx