The Red Romance Book. Edited by Andrew Lang

London: Longmans, Green, 1905. ~Original red cloth, elaborate gilt illus of knight, princess, and dragon to front board; gilt lettering and gilt vignette of knight and princess to spine. Spine slightly faded and gilt to spine somewhat dulled. Tiny faint splash marks to front board, but front board unfaded and gilt fresh. Minor wear to base and top of spine and to board corners; spine very slightly cocked. All edges gilt. 8vo (13.5 x 18.8cm). Hinges sound. Endpapers illustrated in red on cream (charming sequential scenes, showing the prelude to and aftermath of an encounter between two knights over a lady on front and rear endpapers respectively). Front endpaper just barely starting at gutter (less than half centimetre). 8 full-page colour plates, inc. frontis with tissue guard, 28 full-page b/w plates, and 16 in-text illus, as called for, all by Henry Justice Ford, the illustrator for all Lang's fairy and romance books. As per Andrew Lang's introduction, '(a)ll the stories in this book were done by Mrs. Lang, out of the old romances' (p. viii); Leonora Blanche Lang, like her husband 'also a writer and translator and very much the practical intelligence behind the Lang household' (ODNB), collaborated with her husband on numerous of his story books. Scuff to p. 136, but text block otherwise bright and clear. Scarce. Robust packaging. Overseas orders trackable on request. . 1st edn. Hardback. Near Fine. xii, 372pp. Binding sound, text unmarked.