Arthur Rackham Returns to Camelot for Stories of King Arthur Tales

Seeking fresh life for early work, publishers reissued Arthur Rackham’s visions alongside this 1910 collected volume of Knights of the Round Table stories written by Anne Louise Haydon. The illustrated tales first appeared in 1902 children’s magazines with 4 color plates and 2 line drawings. Cassell added Stories of King Arthur to their catalog containing the classic Rackham interpretations.

Explore old lore launching legends while still in excellent condition!

Buy Stories of King Arthur

Charming 1910 King Arthur tales for children with early Rackham Camelot art.

Originally 1902 magazine pieces reworked for 1905 anthology and this collected volume
Depicts the bold exploits of Lancelot, Galahad, Tristram, and other knights
Rackham polishing his signature style visualizing myths and quests
Foundational glimpses foreshadowing his career-defining 1917 Morte D’Arthur scenes

The book features identical content to a prior 1905 fairy tale anthology Fairy Tales Old and New also recycling Rackham’s Camelot scenes. While Haydon and the anthologies faded into obscurity, durable editions keeping Rackham’s art circulating indicate his marketability for publishers. His distinctive compositions matching atmospheric detail with emotive postures made recurrent revived collaborations bankable prospects, cementing Rackham’s value perpetuating volumes through irresistible fantasy allure rather than strength of texts themselves.

Formats:

Red cloth binding with pasted illustration (94 pages)
Grey buckram binding (94 pages) Size: 4 7⁄8 x 7 1⁄8 inches

Text: Stories of King Arthur by A. L. Haydon
With four coloured plates and other illustrations by Arthur Rackham, A.R.W.S.
Published by Cassell and Company, Limited
London, New York, Toronto, and Melbourne
MCMX (1910)

Illustrations: 4 color plates and 2 black & white drawings by Arthur Rackham; originally in Little Folks (1902) and Fairy Tales Old and New anthologies

Publisher: Cassell & Co. (London et al.)

First Published: Little Folks (1902); Fairy Tales Old and New (1905)

Release Date: 1910

Though publisher A.L. Haydon compiled the Stories of King Arthur story collection in 1910, Arthur Rackham’s accompanying illustrations actually originated in 1902 children’s magazine tales titled “Stories of the Table Round” for Little Folks. Featured scenes depict the daring exploits of Camelot heroes like Lancelot, Tristram, Galahad, and the quest of the white hart appearing on Arthur’s wedding day.

After reworking the images for a 1905 fairy tale anthology, Rackham permitted the recycling of his early King Arthur visions to accompany Haydon’s book capitalizing on building intrigue into Arthurian myths. Though early in his career, the compositions exhibit Rackham’s flair capturing knightly drama with crisp lines and dynamic energy.

While the Stories volume itself never gained renown, it indicates Rackham’s appeal popularizing medieval lore in the early 1900s before achieving fame reinterpreting definitive classics. These vignettes offered initial practice conveying heroic figures from Malory later perfected through his 1917 scenes for Alfred Pollard’s abridged Le Morte D’Arthur definitive edition cementing Rackham’s legend through rich color paintings spanning the tragic romance arc.