Book Description
Few artists have had so much written about them as Aubrey Beardsley. From Joseph Pennell's praise in "A New Illustrator" in 1893, through the fusillade aimed at "The Yellow Book," the eulogies of Beerbohm, Ross, and Symons, the turn-of-the-century listings of Vallance and Gallatin, R. A. Walker's miscellanies spanning the teens through the forties, the 1966 Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition catalogue and Brian Reade's subsequent book, to recent biographies and critical studies, there is a seemingly endless Beardsley literature. One result of this plethora of books, monographs, and articles, some of them disorganized, if not contradictory or confusing, is that no single source of reliable information exists, the kind of guide a collector, a curator, or a bookseller would want to keep handy. "A Selective Checklist of the Published Work of Aubrey Beardsley" aims to fill that need. Based on examination of public and private collections, recent scholarship, and archival materials, this book, the first bibliography to be published in half a century, resolves long-standing ambiguities, corrects oft-repeated errors, and provides a wealth of new information. It lists most of the books and periodicals containing Beardsley's illustrations, drawings, designs, bindings, and writings published during his lifetime, along with posthumously issued items of significance. Posters, bookplates, and ephemera are also described, and there is a section dealing with forgeries and misattributions. An extensive index and cross-references to previous (often unindexed) standard sources are provided, making "A Selective Checklist" an essential resource for all interested in Beardsley and the British 1890s. Mark Samuels Lasner is a recognized authority on late Victorian art and literature. A collector and bibliographer, he is author of "William Allingham: A Bibliographical Study" (1993) and co-author, with Margaret D. Stetz, of "England in the 1880s: Old Guard and Avant-Garde" (1989), "England in the 1890s: Literary Publishing at the Bodley Head" (1990), and the recent Harvard University Library catalogue, "The Yellow Book: A Centenary Exhibition" (1994). His articles have appeared in The Book Collector, Browning Institute Studies, Notes and Queries, and the Gazette of the Grolier Club. Mr. Samuels Lasner serves as president of the William Morris Society in the United States.
