1915 The Happy Hypocrite by Max Beerbohm / First Illustrated Edition / John Lane, The Bodley Head / Richly Illustrated by George Sheringham

Here is a scarce first illustrated edition of The Happy Hypocrite - A Fairy Tale For Tired Men by Max Beerbohm. Published in 1915 by John Lane, The Bodley Head, London. With sumptuous illustrations and decorations in colour by George Sheringham (see photos). 

The Happy Hypocrite: A Fairy Tale for Tired Men is a short story with moral implications, first published in a separate volume by Max Beerbohm in 1897. His tale is a lighter, more humorous version of Oscar Wilde's 1890 classic tale of moral degeneration, The Picture of Dorian Gray. It tells the story of a man who deceives a woman with a mask in order to marry her. 

Inside the pages are clean, bright and tightly bound with no writing or inscriptions. With light spotting scattered through the text and to the outside edges. Opens onto decorative endpapers, then with a number of full colour plates, and black and gold decoration to the chapter headers and footers. A visual feast! One plate has a couple of fold creases to the top corner.

With blue decorative cloth to the front and cream to the back and spine. Has gilt titles to the spine. Again in top order with just a few light scratches to the decoration on the front.

Your antique copy of The Happy Hypocrite will be wrapped with care in tissue and ribbon* and sent well packaged. I am always happy to include a gift card and message if desired.

H 26.5 cm x W 21.5 cm, 70 pages, 0.63 kg. I dispatch worldwide daily from the UK. (There are just a very few countries which I am unable to ship to).

* If you would prefer for your book not to be decoratively wrapped but sent simply in the full protective packaging please add a note to the order.

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