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Morris, William.
The Well at the World’s End A Tale.
Publisher: Longmans, Green, and Co. [printed at the Chiswick Press], London;
Date of Publication: 1896
Stock Code: 15248
First trade edition, produced simultaneously with the Kelmscott limited edition of 358 copies. Octavo, two volumes, pp., vii, [1], 378, plus publisher’s initial blank; vi, 279, [1]. Uniformly bound in contemporary red morocco over marbled paper boards; titled in gilt to black leather spine labels; ornamented in gilt with floral stamps to spine; all edges sprinkled red; white end-papers. Former ownership inscription in blue ink to front free end-paper. Spines sunned; shelf-wear to extremities; top edges dusty; bindings strong and square. Offsetting to end-papers; contents otherwise clean and in good order. A very solid set. A work of high fantasy epic in the vein of Arthurian Romance, by artist, author, and designer William Morris (1834-1896). Admired by H. G. Wells and C. S. Lewis, The Well at the World’s End was a direct influence on Tolkein, who borrowed the name Gandalf from Morris’ ‘Gandolf’ (see Kuusela, 32). £250.00