More Tales of the Stumps by Horace Bleackley
Arthur Rackham Steps Back Up to the Stumps for More Cricket Tales
Though Arthur Rackham provided the illustrations, More Tales of the Stumps sprang from the creative mind of author Horace William Bleackley. Born in 1868 in Prestwich, Lancashire, Bleackley attended prestigious institutions like Cheltenham College and Oxford University before embarking on a literary career spanning fiction and nonfiction until his 1931 death in Switzerland.
Secure this scarce showcase melding Rackham whimsy with Bleackley’s bold wit before boundaries close!
Buy More Tales of the Stumps
1902 cricket comedy sequel with 11 superb Rackham plates depicting absurd leisure mishaps.
- Rackham lends brooding style to forgotten humorist Horace Bleackley’s provocative satires
- Companion to Bleackley’s acclaimed 1897 A Short Innings stories
- An overlooked Rackham collaborative highlight on par with Edwardian genre-benders
- Essential for cricket culture, sports humor, or Rackham fans
While early novels like 1892’s A Defender of the Faith established Bleackley’s talent for historical drama, his passion for sports saw him earn most acclaim through humorous takes on pastimes like cricket. After initial stories parodying club competitions, his 1897 book A Short Innings preceded the 1902 sequel More Tales of the Stumps.
Bleackley’s comedic touch transforms quaint English traditions into absurdist satires critiquing how leisure intensity exposes innate flaws. Though forgotten compared to grave Edwardian writers, Bleackley’s bold experiments melding genres matched innovators like Saki challenging form and propriety. By matching Rackham’s haunting atmospherics with Bleackley’s provocative humor, More Tales captures two creatives illuminating the uncanny creeping at civilization’s cracks.
Format: Blue cloth binding with color pictorial stamping (224 pages)
Size: 4 3⁄4 x 7 1⁄2 inches
Text: More Tales of the Stumps by Horace Bleackley
Illustrators: Arthur Rackham and “Rip” Rackham
Illustrations: 11 black & white drawings
Publisher: Ward, Lock & Co., Limited (London et al.)
Publication Date: 1902
Summary: Coming off his decorated illustrations for distinguished sports manuals, Arthur Rackham paired with cartoonist “Rip” for 11 skillful black and white drawings accompanying More Tales of the Stumps – humor writer Horace Bleackley’s comedic 1902 follow-up to Tales of the Stumps continuing the misadventures of bumbling cricket club rivals. With his signature smoky textures, Rackham memorably encapsulates comic moments from Bleackley’s wry stories satirizing competitive antics and superstitions orbiting country cricket matches.
While less prominent than highbrow collaborators, Bleackley channels British pastimes through absurdist fun. Beyond typical visual gags, Rackham mines deeper cultural touchstones inside ostensibly gentle games. His compositions contrast quaint settings withdisquieting undertones regarding obscuring personal faults through pastime fervency. For comprehensiveness, collectors should secure his quality visions before future reprints omit subsidiary works displaying equal technique and insight.
