Princess Badoura: A Tale from the Arabian Nights [Color Plates]

Author: Housman, Laurence

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton

Illustrator: Illustrated by Edward Dulac (1882-1953)

Edition: First Printing, Trade

Condition: Near Fine.
Jacket Condition: No Dust Jacket.

Bound in cream cloth decorated in gilt and turquoise. Moderate wear to binding, with minor age-soiling to cloth, dimming to sunned spine, small, neat tears to head and tail of spine, and mild warping of the rear board. Hint of spine at center of text block. Binding remains firm and sound. Teal endpapers with peacock embellishments. Foxing heaviest at endpapers, with occasional spot or smudge to pages throughout. Pages are otherwise unmarked. 4to; 10 ¼ by 7 ¾ inches. [ii], 113 pages. Illustrated with captained tissue-guarded tipped-in plates – all present by Edmund Dulac .. Richly and romantically illustrated with 10 color plates by Edmund Dulac (1882-1953), a celebrated artist of the Golden Age of Illustration, this exquisite 1913 first edition retells a classic fairy tale originally shared by Scheherazade in A Thousand and One Nights. The story follows the love between a Persian prince and a Chinese princess, both confined by their royal parents for refusing to marry. Their paths are magically crossed by two mischievous genies, setting the stage for one unforgettable night and a heroic trial to overcome all odds and reunite. Together, they strive to rule happily ever after in a world that views them as mad. As Laurence Housman writes in his introduction: “Scheherazade, daughter of the Grand Vizier, witty, courageous, resourceful, and most prolix of all delightful tale-tellers, adventurously enters the royal menage and becomes his only surviving wife.” This retelling holds the distinction of being, in some versions, the last of Scheherazade’s tales. It reveals the fulfillment of her original purpose—telling stories of great depth. In Princess Badoura, the woman of beauty and intellect, posing as her husband, rules a Kingdom. Through this tale, Scheherazade highlights the potential of a woman empowered to use her own abilities and resources.