Nicholson, William. - An Alphabet. London, William Heinemann - Lot 160

Nicholson, William. - An Alphabet. London, William Heinemann, 1898. In-4, publisher’s illustrated cardboard binding, cloth spine, red edges—small stain on the front cover, some foxing on the endpapers and flyleaves— [27 ff.]. Illustrated covers, title vignette, and 26 full-page three-color lithographs based on Nicholson’s original woodcuts. At the end of the volume, an advertising insert for “An Almanac of Twelve Sports,” also illustrated by Nicholson. First edition. Each letter is represented by a typical figure from contemporary society, and the work begins with a self-portrait of Nicholson as the Artist. Also featured are the Countess, the Dandy, and the Earl, as well as representatives of the common people: the Beggar, the Milkmaid... William Nicholson (1872–1949) was one of the brilliant artists who contributed to the revival of wood engraving in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it is significant that he chose a wood engraver to represent the letter X. A fine copy despite the minor flaws noted, with no foxing on the plates.