Page:Arthur Rackham, a bibliography.pdf/11



EW ARTISTS, whose work has appeared in book form, have received more attention from collectors and less from bibliographers than has Arthur Rackham. One can scarcely pick up a general catalogue of a rare-book dealer without finding at least one of Rackham’s books, yet there is no comprehensive list of his published work, and it is safe to say that many ardent collectors are unaware of many of his early books and magazine illustrations.

As is often the case in book-collecting, the most elusive and perplexing items are not those of greatest importance in the artist’s production, but rather the early pieces lightly considered by author and public when they appeared and soon forgotten as more significant work was published. However the critic may regard these first efforts, they are dear to the heart of the collector, and perhaps not unimportant to the student of the more mature productions.

This attempt to record all of Rackham’s published work has been complicated because of the fact that his earliest drawings appeared in several magazines, some of which are not easily found. Mr. Rackham has informed the authors that his first appearance in print was in the Magazine Scraps in 1884. Thereafter he contributed to Pall Mall and Westminster Budgets, The Daily Graphic, Illustrated Bits, Cassell’s, and other periodicals. Some of these have not been accessible to the authors, but it is hoped that the appearance of this list will bring forth this