Cupid and Psyches: The excellent narration of their marriage translated into English by William Adlington out of the Latine Bookes of the Golden Asse, by Apuleius, 1566
London: The Fortune Press, 1927. Limited to 700 copies, this being #38 of 100 bound in vellum. Quarto, 26x17cm, unpaginated. Arnold hand-made paper, each page with elaborate, red decorative borders by Geofroy Tory ca. 1524. Full vellum, spine stamped in gilt in original red patterned jacket. Boards slightly bowed with some smudging to top edge. Jacket with some toning along folds, edges, and spine with a few edge tears and chipping at corners. Very good. This edition of the classic Greek tale, mirroring the 1639 reprint of William Adlington's translation, appeared just a few years after the Nonesuch press edition of the same title. The book so closely resembled its predecessor, Nonesuch demanded the title, along with two others for the same reason, be withdrawn. In Ridler's British Modern Press Books, he states "Most of this piracy of the Nonesuch Press edition was supposed to have been destroyed."
Reginald Caton founded his fortune press in 1924, publishing homosexual erotica along with what many considered piracies of Nonesuch press books such as Plato's Symposium and Johannes Secundus's Kisses. Neither troubled by accusations nor issues of copyright, Caton would go on to publish 600 books including Dylan Thomas's 18 poems and Philip Larkin's first novel and book of poetry.
Ridler pg. 88. Item #5019
Price: $500.00