The Birth of Christ [The Nativity]; from the Gospel according to Saint Luke

[Waltham Saint Lawrence]: The Golden Cockerel Press, 1925. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near fine. Rooke, Noel. One of 370 copies, octavo size, 44 pp. This volume comprises a portion of text from the Book of Saint Luke, telling of the birth of Jesus Christ; printed by The Golden Cockerel Press, this publication is one of its beautiful renderings of stories from the Bible.

The wood engravings are by Noel Rooke (1881-1953), an English wood engraver and one of the prominent figures in the revival of wood engraving during the twentieth century, who helped to found the Society of Wood Engravers in 1920. He was influential as both an artist and a teacher, and among his students were notable wood engravers such as Vivien Gribble, Robert Gibbings, and Monica Poole. Rooke's engravings here portray the soft dignity and beauty of the biblical text, and work with the printed text to form a lovely publication from The Golden Cockerel Press.

___DESCRIPTION: Quarter brown leather with grey-green paper boards, gilt lettering on the spine, top edge gilt, fore- and bottom edges uncut, two pages of red type of text from the Book of Luke, frontispiece a red and black wood engraving of Madonna and child by Noel Rooke, type in red and black throughout, black-and-white wood engravings by Rooke throughout; Caslon O. F. type, Batchelor handmade paper, octavo size (8.75" by 6"), pagination: [1-9] 10-11 [12-16] 17-43 [1 colophon], one of 370 copies, this number 170.

___CONDITION: Near fine, the leather shelfback smooth and supple, the boards clean (other than a few light, stray spots), minimally corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, the interior is clean and bright, and free of prior owner markings (although there is faint evidence of erasure at the top of the rear pastedown); overall a near fine copy which could almost be deemed fine.

___CITATION: Chanticleer no. 32.

___POSTAGE:  International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details.

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