Books

First Kelmscott edition, one of 350 copies on paper, of the final of Morris's magic-realist romances to be published before his death. "Among the most popular of Morris's works [for its] quest pattern and fantastic natural setting". Morris's novel held a strong influence on 20th-century literature (Bono, p. 54). Both Tolkien and C. S. Lewis found inspiration in Morris's blend of medieval romance and fantasy. Tolkien's "Shadowfax" from The Lord of the Rings is widely credited as drawn from Morris's "swift" horse: "Silverfax". Announced in December 1892, publication was delayed due to indecision regarding the illustrations. The choice of illustrator changed from Charles Fairfax Murray to Arthur J. Gaskin, whose illustrations Morris then declined. This caused scheduling issues at the press; both the Kelmscott Chaucer and The Earthly Paradise were by then in production. Although Gaskin revised his illustrations in 1895, the decision was taken to replace him with Edward Burne-Jones who produced four designs for the tale. Burne-Jones produced a total of 106 designs for the Kelmscott Press, 87 of which were for the Kelmscott Chaucer, with this being next highest in number. Peterson notes that "the eight borders and the six different ornaments between the columns appear here for the first time, but are used again in The Water of the Wondrous Isles, with the exception of two borders". The trade edition was published by Longman at the Chiswick Press and was set in type by the end of 1892. The Kelmscott edition while typeset from that setting, was the first edition to be issued: "in the bibliographic sense... the Chiswick Press version [has] a claim to be the first edition" but "the case for seeing the Kelmscott Press version as the first edition has substance still, it being, quite deliberately, the first to be issued" (LeMire). READ MORE Large quarto. Original full limp vellum, spine lettered in gilt, three pairs of green silk ties, edges untrimmed. Ornamental woodcut title page, ornamental initials and borders throughout, 4 designs by Edward Burne-Jones. Printed in red and black in Chaucer type. Book ticket of Kikuo Bookstore tipped onto rear pastedown Vellum slightly noted as usual, fading to lettering on spine, loss to single tie, foxing to edges, paper flaw to half-title with small perforation, contents clean, printing bright: a very good copy. Buxton Forman 164; LeMire A-80.01; Peterson A39. Barbara J. Bono, "The Prose Fictions of William Morris: A Study in the Literary Aesthetic of a Victorian Social Reformer", Victorian Poetry, vol. 13, no. 3/4, Fall-Winter 1975.

The Well at the World's End is a high fantasy novel by the British artist, designer, poet, and novelist William Morris. It is widely regarded as one of the forerunners to the entire modern fantasy genre, predating works by authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.