Gift Guide 05 | Chosen by Hannah Lessiter

Counting down to Christmas, our junior specialist Hannah Lessiter has selected a handful of her personal favourites from our shelves.

Explore the list now.

Henry HARLAND (literary editor); Aubrey BEARDSLEY (art editor).

The Yellow Book

London, 1894

£2,250

'The complete run of The Yellow Book, the quarterly that, for me, best captures the spirit of the fin de siècle. Beardsley’s controversial cover designs are striking examples of his illustrative art; flat perspective, stylised form, empty space and the novel application of dots.'

John MILTON

Paradise Lost. A Poem in Ten Books.

London, 1669

£32,500

'A literary masterpiece, and incidentally one of my favourite books. This epic poem is unusual for its biblical subject rather than the traditional heroic and pagan subjects that we see in the likes of Homer. Yet, Milton mastered the genre to an exceptional degree and his reputation as one of the great English poets cannot be disputed.'

Charles DICKENS; Arthur RACKHAM (illustrator)

A Christmas Carol

Philadelphia, 1915

£6,250

‘A beautiful edition of Dickens' classic Christmas tale. I love how Rackham's imaginative interpretations and distinctive style pair so well with this evocative work.’

William SHAKESPEARE

The Works of Shakespeare

London, 1929

£1,900

'The most outstanding production of the Nonesuch Press, this version is one of the foremost editions, and perhaps the single best modern edition, of Shakespeare ever printed.'

Stephen SPENCER

Poem

Bryn Mawr, 1934

£2,250

'One of Frederic Prokosch’s infamous Butterfly Books, this copy includes a charming original hand-coloured illustration signed by Prokosch.'

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