An Alphabet.

London: William Heinemann,, 1898 [ie 1897]. First edition, the large library issue, the first of five picture books that Nicholson published with Heinemann and the work that "established Nicholson's solo reputation" (ODNB). Complete copies of this work (as here) are reasonably uncommon as the plates are often cut out and sold separately. It was published in October 1897 but postdated 1898. There was also a deluxe issue of approximately 50 copies printed directly from the woodblocks and coloured by hand, and a popular issue in cloth-backed boards. The present issue (like the popular one) include the plates "E is for Earl" and "T is for Trumpeter", thus more appropriate for a younger readership, whereas in the deluxe issue they read "E is for Executioner" and "T is for Toper". Folio. Tipped-in title page and 26 three-colour lithographs printed on hand-made wove paper from the original woodcuts and interleaved with brown paper. Publisher's tan buckram, titles in black to spine and front board, pictorial design in black, pink, and yellow to front board, publisher's device blocked in black and green to rear board, black frame to boards, brown endpapers, all edges gilt. Sometime rebacked, some loss to preserved original backstrip, light wear to extremities, 3cm snag to rear board, a few stains, slight foxing to brown leaves, the plates otherwise crisp and unaffected; still, a good copy.