Page:The Story of the House of Cassell (book).djvu/80



his return from America, Cassell entered into full partnership with Messrs. Petter and Galpin. They brought a valuable store of business experience and capacity into the concern, and supplied qualities complementary to Cassell 's daring and pioneering spirit. Assisted by a staff of capable and ardent men (all the heads of departments were enthusiastic believers in Cassell), the firm prospered amazingly. It continued to be particularly successful in the production of illustrated editions of great books. The long list included "The Pilgrim's Progress," richly illustrated by H. C. Selous and Paolo Priolo, "Robinson Crusoe," "The Vicar of Wakefield," and "Gulliver's Travels." But perhaps Cassell's greatest achievement in this kind was the series of Doré books. To have secured Doré's services at all was a triumph. When the thing was accomplished the House set itself to the task of doing the great artist justice, and it succeeded perfectly—that is, up to the limit of possibility in illustration at that time. The "Inferno" with Doré's pictures was published in 1861. The next of the series was the "Don Quixote." To get his material for this Doré spent two years in Spain, and he gave the public of his best. Later on, the question arose whether Doré should be commissioned to illustrate the Bible. The Art Editor of those days had very serious misgivings about the proposal, as witness the following letter to John Cassell in Paris:

",—Can you make it convenient while in Paris to see M. Gustave Doré? Although his style of composition is not in general suited to the illustration of the Bible, there are subjects, now and then, which it would be an advantage