Aelfwine wrote:

Author's advance copies! Fantastic Aelfwine!

Those illustrations remind me of the illustrations in the Folio Society books. Is it the same artist, by chance? Ingahild Grathmer and Eric Fraser were the illustrators (but I don't know if one of them in particular was responsible for this kind of style seen here).

I do have acopy of the boxed Danish set shown and, while it has been a few years since I did the comparison, from memory the drawings are identical to the Folio set. Eric Fraser based his drawings on Ingahild Grathmer's (Queen Margarethe's) designs. I think her original designs not adjusted by Fraser (or some of them) were used for the covers of the set of the Tolkien Ensemble recordings of songs from LOTR.

Very interesting. Now that I look more closely at the image provided, I feel silly because I now notice Grathmer's name on the cover. I suppose that answers that!
I never realize the Folio Society illustrations were not purpose designed for the Folio release.

In any case, I find them pleasingly abstract and enjoy the style.

thomas spoke wrote:

Very interesting. Now that I look more closely at the image provided, I feel silly because I now notice Grathmer's name on the cover. I suppose that answers that!
I never realize the Folio Society illustrations were not purpose designed for the Folio release.

In any case, I find them pleasingly abstract and enjoy the style.

Extra flare added by the fact that Ingahild Grathmer is just a pseudonym for queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Tolkien himself is rumoured to have taken a liking to her illustrations who have some similarity to his own style.

Fascinating! When I saw others making reference to her as "Queen Margarethe" I assumed the "Queen" was the pseudonym for the true Ingahild. This is even more unexpected.

Not a terribly recent acquisition - more a recent rediscovery. I picked this little volume up when I was researching Songs for the Philologists a while back. In my case, dictionary required (and also still challenging)!

(Un)interestingly, this particular copy was once owned by W. H. Auden's father, George Augustus Auden.

Very interesting Stu, an unassuming yet beautiful looking book.

Looks to be pretty small, is it cloth or leather? Looks like leather from here.

Mr. Underhill wrote:

Very interesting Stu, an unassuming yet beautiful looking book.

Looks to be pretty small, is it cloth or leather? Looks like leather from here.

Yep, it is a very diminutive volume. Just green buckram - not leather.

Beautiful little book Stu. And nice previous ownership.