778. Yet More Ricketts books from the Collection of Barry Humphries

It turns out that Barry Humphries’ collection has still not been fully exhausted after several auctions and an antiquarian catalogue; last week, more books were sold at Forum Auctions, some of which, incidentally, had failed to meet the reserve prices at previous auctions and had remained unsold.

One of those books was Daphnis and Chloe, for which Ricketts and Shannon worked together on the woodcuts for over a year. The Humphries copy was initially estimated at £800-£1,200, and the lot was passed. On 25 June, the online auction, Fin-de-Siècle, the Gothic and Weird, inc. Further books from the Library of Barry Humphries presented the book as lot 46, now with an estimate of £400 - £600. Hammer price was below the lowest estimate: £340. 

The book has not been preserved in its original green cloth binding. This was a 'contemporary purple morocco with double gilt fillet border and small ornaments to corners'. The binder may have been John Elliott, as an old cataloguing slip, loosely inserted, stated. Also, the binding's condition was not in the best possible condition: 'a little rubbed and faded, particularly spine, top corner of upper cover bumped’. 

'The Vintage at Mitylene',
from Daphnis and Chloe (1893)

Not previously offered from Barry Humpries’ collection was a deluxe copy of Lord de Tabley's Poems Dramatic and Lyrical (1893) for which Ricketts designed the binding and five illustrations. This is one of a hundred copies bound in full vellum (lot 48).

This copy has the original tissue-guards to the illustrations (although foxed), and while the binding is described as 'slightly rubbed, very slight bowing to covers', the book was estimated at  £200 - £300. It has the bookplate of Muriel A.C. Press, an influential translator of Icelandic saga (1867-1937). Hammer price: £340.

Lord de Tabley, Poems Dramatic and Lyrical (1893):
vellum copy