Horace J. Knowles: Beyond Fairyland

Eager Heart A Christmas Mystery Play KNOWLES, Horace J.; BUCKTON, Alice .M.

Knowles’s love for the theatre begun at a young age when he fostered an interest both for acting and costume. Morality plays were popular, and one such play was Alice Buckton’s Eager Heart and he drew and painted his cos- tume designs for these in 1923. When it came to publishing an illustrated edition of the play in 1931, Knowles was the natural choice. The publishers had high praise for this fully-illustrated masterpiece, saying “Mr Horace Knowles has written out and illustrated the text from beginning to end; the work of his pencil replaces printer’s type from cover to cover, and the Pub- lishers believe that the labour, technical skill, and artistic imagination which he has brought in such full measure to the execution of his commission cannot fail to meet with the high appreciation which they deserve.” 37. Eight Original Drawings For Eager Heart [1931]. Eight original pen and ink drawings and calligraphic text on paper. Six sheets 39cm x 28cm. Endpapers 53cm x 37cm. Drawings either initialled or signed by Knowles . [32992] 38. Eager Heart : Costumes Designed For The Christmas Play 1923. Unpublished. 4to. Brown card wrappers with title label pasted onto the upper cover. Twelve original colour drawings on paper. Each page signed and dated by Knowles. [32996] Illustrated overleaf.

36. Eager Heart Elkins Mathews & Marrot Ltd., 1931 . First edi- tion illustrated by Knowles. Edition de Luxe 4to. Full white vellum, lettered and decorat- ed in gilt on the spine and upper cover, in original printed dustwrapper, with a price of 21/- net on the front flap. Annotated by Knowles on the copyright page “Of fifty special signed copies this is no. 12”. Signed by Knowles and Alice Buckton. Pictorial endpapers. Illustrated throughout in black and white by Horace Knowles. A very good copy, offsetting to the endpapers, in a very good dustwrapper which has browning to the spine and extremities. [32991]

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