Because the inclusion of these unique works was not consistent and not necessarily well-known, readers must have been delighted to find these additions when they received the already-special publication. In all, one admires the energy of the beloved illustrator-whose schedule was already full with commissions-taking the time to customize individual copies. Some of these sketches are simple ink outlines, others are more elaborate watercolor productions. Harrap & Co., 1935) in which the added sketches depict a man frightened from reading the tales themselves. Often the sketches depict characters or scenes from the story, but the Ransom Center holds two deluxe copies of Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination (London: George G. Watercolor and ink sketch on edition page of Tales of Mystery and Imagination (London: George G. On all he bitterly annotated his illustrator credit line to indicate that his works were not reproduced in their entirety. In the three copies held by the Ransom Center, Rackham depicts himself with limbs severed in one, collapsed in a coffin with ink spilled before him in another, and turned away in disgust in a third. The publisher illustrated the book with plates that had been cut-down, eliminating portions of Rackham’s work. Rackham hated an edition of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens put out by Hodder and Stoughton, and he used his title-page sketches to make these feelings known. In the Ransom Center’s large collection of Rackham-illustrated books, there are forty-four such sketches. In a number of copies of his deluxe editions, Rackham annotated the flyleaf or title page with an original, one-of-a-kind sketch or watercolor. But purchasing an original at Leicester Galleries was not the only way to acquire a unique Rackham work of art. The original works, like the books, found an enthusiastic audience. Rackham also exhibited and sold his original illustrations in London galleries, a move that increased interest in his work and generated even more excitement for his illustrated books. Rackham’s fanciful, intricately detailed images delighted readers, and each year newly released editions became sought-after Christmas gifts, remaining popular even after World War I changed the market. Less-expensive illustrated trade versions were as popular as the deluxe editions.

Photo-mechanically created printing plates and further advances in color-print technology enabled a new level of production, and, beginning in 1905 with Rip Van Winkle (London: William Heinemann), publishers filled vellum-bound, signed and numbered copies with Rackham’s tipped-in color illustrations, black-and-white prints, and decorated endpapers.

Peter pan rackham