Midsummer Nights Dream

Some books are purchased to be read. Others are purchased to be admired. This magnificent 1977 edition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, illustrated by the incomparable Arthur Rackham, somehow manages to invite both impulses simultaneously. It is one of those glorious oversized volumes that seems to occupy not just shelf space but a certain amount of emotional real estate as well. You don’t simply own it—you find yourself periodically walking past it and thinking, "That really is rather lovely."

Shakespeare, of course, hardly requires an introduction. Lovers flee into an enchanted forest, fairies meddle in human affairs with alarming confidence, an unfortunate weaver acquires the head of a donkey, and somehow everyone emerges wiser, happier and ready for weddings. It’s one of the greatest comedies ever written, effortlessly blending romance, magic, mistaken identity and theatrical chaos. Four centuries later it remains proof that human beings have always possessed an astonishing talent for making perfectly manageable situations unnecessarily complicated.

Then there are Arthur Rackham’s illustrations, which have become almost as legendary as the play itself. His delicate, dreamlike fairies, twisted woodland trees and wonderfully mischievous creatures seem less like illustrations and more like evidence that he had somehow wandered into Shakespeare’s enchanted forest and quietly sketched what he found there. Even today, Rackham’s work possesses an unmistakable magic that countless illustrators have admired but very few have matched.

This copy is honestly described as Poor, though that verdict deserves a little context. Structurally, the binding remains pleasingly firm and the pages themselves are in reasonably good order, making it perfectly readable and an excellent reference copy. Its principal misfortune appears to have been an encounter with water many years ago, leaving some evidence around the lower spine area. The dust jacket has consequently lost a little of its original glossy finish in that region, although the effect is less obvious than one might expect—particularly given the sheer size of the book. In other words, it wears its scars with considerably more dignity than many of us manage.

There is a pleasing irony here. Shakespeare’s enchanted forest is a place where appearances deceive, identities shift and outward forms rarely tell the whole story. It therefore seems strangely appropriate that this beautiful edition asks to be judged by something deeper than cosmetic perfection. The magic inside has survived remarkably well, even if the jacket has lived a more adventurous life than its publisher originally intended.

For collectors, this may not be the immaculate showpiece destined for a glass cabinet under carefully controlled humidity. For readers, students, artists and admirers of Arthur Rackham, however, it remains an immensely desirable edition. The illustrations retain their extraordinary charm, the text is entirely serviceable, and the volume still possesses the commanding presence that made these editions so beloved in the first place. Sometimes a well-used treasure offers rather better company than an immaculate one too precious to open.

Proudly offered by Crappy Old Books, where we have a soft spot for distinguished old volumes that have clearly been appreciated rather than merely displayed. Like Shakespeare’s own enchanted wood, this book reminds us that perfection is often overrated. A little weathering, a few signs of survival and a century’s worth of accumulated character can occasionally make an object all the more interesting—and this Rackham-illustrated giant still has plenty of dreams left to share.

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