RARE!!! Heath Robinson `THE BOOK OF GOBLINS` 1934 First Edition

RARE !! Heath Robinson "THE BOOK OF GOBLINS" 1934 First Edition

Hutchinson, London, 1934. Decorative Cloth. Condition: Good. No Jacket. W Heath Robinson (illustrator). First Edition. PUBLISHING DETAILS: First edition, sub-titled 'A collection of folk-lore and fairy tales. Illustrated with 6 colour and over 50 black and white illustrations by Heath Robinson', published by Hutchinson of London in 1934 (though undated). 239 uncut pages. Size; 10" x 7.5". Weight; 1250g. PLEASE NOTE THE FIRST COLOR ILLUSTRATION ON THE FRONTISPIECE AND THE TITLE PAGE ARE MISSING

CONDITION: GOOD The navy blue, blind-embossed covers are worn at the extremities, but basically sound, as is the binding, which remains tight. The text and illustrations are mostly clean with some marks and flecks of light foxing here and there. The colour plates (EXCEPT FOR THE FIRST ONE) are all present. There is a neat inscription on the half-title page: "To ......... From Daddy  Christmas 1937" and the endpapers are tanned and a little foxed. Overall, an attractive copy of this splendid example of Heath Robinson's work, in a rare first edition. THE BOOK: In 1916 Heath Robinson illustrated The Rusty Pot and the Wooden Balls in The Strand Magazine. This story was taken from Vernaleken's collection of Bohemian folk-tales, 'In the Land of Marvels'. Heath Robinson did not give up the idea of illustrating the book. In June 1922 he left with A.E. Johnson three pen drawings illustrating the stories The Wild Cat of the forest, The Fairest Bride and 'The Three Wondrous Fishes, all from 'In the Land of Marvels'. Presumably he wanted Johnson to show them to various publishers in the hope of getting a contract to illustrate a new edition, but he had no success and it was not until 1933 that he was finally able to start work on the book for Hutchinson. It was published in 1934 under the title Heath Robinson's Book of Goblins and contained 7 coloured plates, 8 full page and 45 smaller line drawings and 93 vignettes depicting the eponymous goblins. The change of title was obviously an attempt by the publisher to cash in both on Heath Robinsons reputation as a humourist and on the popularity of his already well known goblin pictures. 

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