The Adventures of Uncle Lubin

London: Grant Richards, 1902. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. Robinson, W. Heath. First printing, octavo size, 135 pp. William Heath Robinson (1872-1944) was an exemplary book illustrator and cartoonist, "the only British illustrator to become a 'household name'" (Houfe), a contemporary of acclaimed illustrators Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac, best known for his cartoons portraying elaborate and whimsical machinary made to complete simple tasks. In fact, his fame was such that the term "Heath Robinson" was used in the United Kingdom to refer to such machinary, much as the term "Rube Goldberg" was used in the United States.

"The Adventures of Uncle Lubin" is a fantastical tale of daring and danger, and is an early example of depictions of the complex machinary for which Robinson would become known; the book is replete with illustrations, often full-page, that bring the story and characters vividly to life.

___DESCRIPTION: Full teal blue cloth, with debossed illustrations in red, grey, and white on the front and rear boards and spine, white and blue lettering on the front board, blue lettering on the spine, all edges rough cut, light grey endpapers with line drawings in burgundy, frontispiece a colour illustration by W. Heath Robinson, title page in red and black with line drawing and ruled border, red historiated initial capitals throughout, line drawings and full-page black-and-white drawings by Robinson throughout; octavo size (8.25" by 6.5"), pagination: [i-xvi] [1] 2-114 [115-119].

___CONDITION: Very good, with clean boards, the colours on the front board minimally rubbed, a strong, square text block, the interior is clean and bright, the sole prior owner marking being a blind-embossed private library seal on the front free endpaper; some rubbing to the head and tail of the spine and corners, corners are gently bumped, some lettering and illustrations on the spine are rubbed, rear hinge is slightly cracked and the front hinge is starting (boards still firmly attached), light off-setting and soiling to the endpapers, as well as to the verso of the rear free endpaper, and the rear free endpaper with evidence of prior paper restoration. Still overall a solid, very good first edition of this popular Robinson work.

___CITATIONS: Horne pp. 373-374; Houfe p. 282; Beare, pp. 115-116.

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