Dalí's illustrations for The Thousand and One Nights

I have received the following email from Folio Society

Since you have previously bought Folio limited editions featuring celebrated artists, I am writing to solicit your views on a publication currently under discussion.

Doubtless you know of Salvador Dalí’s many illustrations for books, but you may not be aware of his watercolours inspired by The Thousand and One Nights. Measuring over 30cm x 40cm, these impressive works have thus far only been published by Catalan publisher ECSA; there has never been an English language version.

We propose to reproduce the illustrations at full size alongside the tales they illustrate, and would be interested to know whether this large format edition would appeal to you. Regrettably it could not be made cheaply, and, for such a stunning collection, we would want to incorporate lavish production values. We estimate the published price would be approximately £800.

I would be delighted if you would consider sharing your views by email, and assure you that responding to this enquiry in no way constitutes any undertaking to purchase should this project come to fruition.


Needless to say, I'm interested.

Yes please

Ditto :-)

£800 is a wee bit rich for me. But it sounds wonderful, and I'd love to visit the DMR some day and see it assuming it gets the green light.

I got the same email, although I am not sure why. I did buy the recent "Disasters of War" by Goya, but that is the only work by a "celebrated artist" that I think I have bought. Maybe they are including Lear's Birds for Gould, and perhaps the Poems of Gray Illustrated by Blake, and, I suppose, while I am at it, "Night Thoughts". But that would also suppose that they are keeping a long database about my buying history.

Anyway, I am interested, especially because the US price they proposed is $1200, making it right in line with the current exchange rate of $ to £.

I'm not included as I'm not a LE buyer, but if they ever scaled this to a "Fine" Edition / standard Folio, I'd be interested.

Is be interested

Very interested.

>6 jp10558:

I'm with you most likely. Though if it's just as brilliant as FS makes it out to be, well....

>5 garyjbp:

I've received the email too, with an LE-buying history which also includes the two Blake publications and Lear's Birds but not the Goya. I expect the FS does have quite a long virtual memory for such things, and that the net is being cast quite widely in an attempt to gauge how well the work might sell.

I don't think I would be buying, but stranger things have happened.

Disappointed I didn't get the email given my past purchases but thanks for letting us know about it

Personally I would be interested in a complete set of the Arabian Nights rather than just illustrations.

>13 BINDINGSTHATLAST:
The FS has published several editions of the Nights, including full editions in 1958, 1980, and 2003. The first two were in four volumes, the last in 6. I think you can get any of them on Abebooks. Also, the proposed Dali edition is to include the illustrated tales.

>14 garyjbp: yes, but would they have that new folio smell....

>16 EclecticIndulgence: oh if you don't want to unseal it please send it my way I have no such qualms and my penguin edition in 3 volumes is held together with duct tape...

>18 EclecticIndulgence:

I would unseal it. I bought such a set and unsealed it when it got here from UK. It smelt damp and musty, so I contacted the seller who advised me to let it adjust to our summer climate slowly, with books unpacked and reorder the two piles regularly.

I saved the books, but the slipcases showed fine spots of mold inside that looked more like a sprinkling of pepper. They have been kept well apart from all other books and periodically I try to remove that mold with a soft brush outside. I'm almost at the point where I will ask a local bookbinder to make me some more slipcases.