MYTH, SATIRE, and ART DECO

Disraeli The Younger (Benjamin) (1804-1881)

The Infernal Marriage [John Austen Signed Limited Edition] [Curwen Press] [1929]

London: William Jackson Books, 1929.

An exquisite private press production of Disraeli’s satirical fantasy, featuring the Art Deco mastery of John Austen. 

Printed at the renowned Curwen Press, this edition revitalizes the future Prime Minister's eighth novel—a 'sly, dry' mythological parody—through a lens of high-modernist elegance. Austen’s illustrations, including pochoir-colored plates, elevate the work from a Victorian curiosity to a primary document of 1920s fine press craftsmanship.

KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Hand-colored pochoir frontispiece and 4 pochoir-style plates; includes a comprehensive bibliography of Austen’s illustrated works and 16 additional black-and-white plates/headers. 
+++ Binding: Quarter blue morocco (goatskin) over beige cloth boards; gilt-lettered spine; top edge gilt. 
+++ Content: Satirical prose by Benjamin Disraeli; famously praised by William Beckford for its "most original composition." 
+++ Imprint: William Jackson Books, London; Printed at the Curwen Press. 1929. 
+++ Limitation & Signatures: Hand-signed by artist John Austen on the limitation page. Number 6 of 850. 
+++ Specs: 4to; 85 pages.

CONDITION: Very Good. Bindings are tight and square. The blue morocco spine has sun-toned to an attractive, uniform brown (a common characteristic of this dye). The beige cloth boards show light "hand soiling" from handling. Internally, the text and plates are clean with light, even toning. Wear on the top spine band. A well-preserved, low-number copy of a delicate binding.

SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ Art Deco Illustration: John Austen’s transition from Beardsley-esque aesthetics to the clean, stylized geometry of Art Deco is perfectly captured in these mythological renderings.
+++ The Curwen Press: Noted for its rigorous standards in typography and color reproduction, making this a "crossover" collectible for both literature and design enthusiasts.
+++ Political Literature: Represents the "Young Disraeli" era, where his literary output served as a playground for the wit and social satire that would later define his parliamentary career.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
The Infernal Marriage remains one of Disraeli's most sophisticated early works, a burlesque of the Proserpine myth used to critique 19th-century social conventions. This 1929 revival by William Jackson Books marks the peak of the private press 'boom' in London, where classic texts were reimagined as luxury objects for the bibliophile market.

SUBJECTS: Benjamin Disraeli, John Austen, Art Deco Illustration, Curwen Press, Fine Press Books, Private Press Movement, Limited Edition, Signed Edition, Satire, Illustrated Books.

Item #21722

Price: $175.00