Rackham, Arthur.

"Oh Waken, Waken Burd Isbel": from Some British Ballads.

1919. London: Constable, 1919.

Single offset color print, 5 x 6 inches, tipped to the original captioned buff paper, matted, fine.

§ A single illustration by Arthur Rackham from the ballad of "Young Bekie" in Some British Ballads (1919). The plate shows beautiful Burd Isbel being woken by the household spririt Belly Blin with the news that Bekie, who had promised to marry her if she broke him out of prison, is about to marry another. She goes on to track him down and hold him to his word. The ballad was first collected by Francis James Child in the 19th century but older versions of the story are found in Norse, Italian, and and Spanish. Item #123997

Price: $125.00