Picasso (First Edition - First Printing - Illustrated) Gertrude Stein Arts,First Editions,Literature

First printing of the first UK edition, and first edition in English, published in October, 1938. The book was first published in French by Libraire Floury earlier in 1938. Beautifully illustrated with 61 colour and monochrome plates. ***Near fine in salmon-pink cloth-covered boards with blue titles to the spine and front board. The boards are clean and unmarked. No bumps or creases to the boards and no tears to the cloth. Corners sharp. The spine colour is slightly faded. Top edge of page block stained blue by the publisher - unfaded. Fore-edge of page block just slightly foxed. Internally also bear fine with no inscriptions. Pages clean. No reading lean. Spine tight. ***In a near fine colour illustrated dustwrapper, that has not been price-clipped, retaining the original publisher's printed price of 7s. 6d. net. The dustwrapper is bright and complete, just very slightly rubbed and creased at the head of the spine. No chips or tears. Spine of dustwrapper unfaded. Dustwrapper clean and bright. ***224mm x 145mm. 55 pages including an Index at the back of the book. ***'Picasso is now accepted almost without question as the most versatile and influential artist alive. Gertrude Stein belongs to that rare category, the genuine literary innovator, and it was a happy idea that prompted her to take as the subject of a short book this great creative figure, who has also been, for many years, her close friend. Picasso's artistic career is here interwoven with the story of his life in a manner that could have been achieved by no other writer than Miss Stein. The result is a piece of writing whose perusal will be a necessity to al interested in modern ideas and their expression, while its illustrations, eight of them in colour, provide a miniature gallery of Picasso's achievement, from youth to his present splendid maturity.' (Quote taken from the front flap of the dustwrapper) ***'Gertrude Stein (Feb 3, 1874 - Jul 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris in 1903, and made France her home for the remainder of her life. She hosted a Paris salon, where the leading figures of modernism in literature and art, such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Ezra Pound, Sherwood Anderson and Henri Matisse, would meet.' (Wiki) ***The first printing of the true first edition in English of this important contemporary biography of Pablo Picasso. The book was very successful and was quickly reprinted - copies of the true first printing in near fine condition in the original dustwrapper are extremely uncommon now. A beautiful book, of interest both to collectors of the work of Gertrude Stein and of the art and life of Pablo Picasso. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.***