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 longstanding 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.
Published by THOMAS G. BOSS FINE BOOKS
355 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02116 USA
Telephone (617) 421-1880, Fax (617) 536-7072
128 pp., seven illustrations, index. Cloth.
Printed by the Stinehour Press.
Publication January 1995. Price $75.00.
ISBN 0-9644734-0-2.
Last modified 1 November 2004