Folio Archives 473: Christmas Eve at Bracebridge Hall by Washington Irving - 1957
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1wcarter
Christmas Eve at Bracebridge Hall by Washington Irving - 1957
This is a Folio Society unicorn! I have been searching for a copy for over a decade, but because of its ephemeral nature I have never seen a copy for sale until recently when one popped up on an obscure website in Ireland. Unfortunately, the vendor knew its rarity and so it was not cheap.
Printed letterpress (as all Folio Society books were in 1957), this eight page booklet was listed as a Folio Society Miniature, but was actually larger than the Folio Society Miniature Poetry books issued decades later in the 1990s (see HERE), and no other FS miniatures are known to exist.
The booklet was given away to members of the FS and some copies may have been sold, but is included in the FS oeuvre as a proper issue rather than an ephemeral item and is included in Folio 75 et al.
The eight page booklet measures 15x11cm. and was printed by the Pitman Press with six integrated red printed illustrations by Randolph Caldecott. It is bound in green card covers printed with the title in white and with a further two red illustrations by Caldecott on front and back. The red thread sewing is visible in the centre fold. It was originally housed in a plain white paper envelope which is missing in my copy. The text is taken from Irving’s The Sketch Book (1820).
Because of its rarity, size and shortness I am reproducing every page in detail for future reference.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
This is a Folio Society unicorn! I have been searching for a copy for over a decade, but because of its ephemeral nature I have never seen a copy for sale until recently when one popped up on an obscure website in Ireland. Unfortunately, the vendor knew its rarity and so it was not cheap.
Printed letterpress (as all Folio Society books were in 1957), this eight page booklet was listed as a Folio Society Miniature, but was actually larger than the Folio Society Miniature Poetry books issued decades later in the 1990s (see HERE), and no other FS miniatures are known to exist.
The booklet was given away to members of the FS and some copies may have been sold, but is included in the FS oeuvre as a proper issue rather than an ephemeral item and is included in Folio 75 et al.
The eight page booklet measures 15x11cm. and was printed by the Pitman Press with six integrated red printed illustrations by Randolph Caldecott. It is bound in green card covers printed with the title in white and with a further two red illustrations by Caldecott on front and back. The red thread sewing is visible in the centre fold. It was originally housed in a plain white paper envelope which is missing in my copy. The text is taken from Irving’s The Sketch Book (1820).
Because of its rarity, size and shortness I am reproducing every page in detail for future reference.
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2HonorWulf
Wow, what a find! Thanks for posting it - I was looking for this story in a Folio collection during the holidays, but didn't pull the trigger. But this is even better!
3UK_History_Fan
>1 wcarter:
How did you find out this publication existed? Is it in Folio 25 or any of its successors? I’ve never heard of it but admittedly have not read Folio 60 or any of its sister publications cover to cover.
How did you find out this publication existed? Is it in Folio 25 or any of its successors? I’ve never heard of it but admittedly have not read Folio 60 or any of its sister publications cover to cover.
4RogerBlake
Somewhere in the house I have a copy. I didn't realise it was so rare!
