The Mabinogion: Medieval Welsh Romances Translated by Lady Charlotte Guest

The Mabinogion is a collection of eleven tales that weaves Welsh mythology, magic and traditional stories. It was first translated into English by Lady Charlotte Guest, published in seven volumes between 1838 and 1845. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh during the 12th & 13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. They appear in two medieval Welsh manuscripts, the White Book of Rhydderch or Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch, and the Red Book of Hergest or Llyfr Coch Hergest.

'So they took the blossoms of the oak, and the blossoms of the broom, and the blossoms of the meadow-sweet, and produced from them a maiden, the fairest and most graceful that man ever saw. And they baptized her, and gave her the name of Blodeuwedd.’

London: David Nutt At The Sign of the Phoenix, 1902. First edition thus. 363pp, plus adverts to rear. Small hardcover, 4 x 6 inches. Translated by Lady Charlotte Guest with notes by Alfred Nutt. Original olive green cloth with gilt titles to boards and spine, red dragon illustration to front and phoenix to the rear. Top edge gilded, tissue guarded frontispiece illustration 'Kynon comes to the castle' by T. Norman Ault. Three previous owner signatures to front-end paper, light wear to cloth with a crease mark on the right and some marks to illustration, edges shelf worn, corners rubbed, tissue guard slightly loosening, internally clean and bright. Overall a very good copy.