The Twilight of the Nymphs

[Cecil Beaton. Pierre Louys]


Beaton provided five drawings for Phillis Duveen’s translation of Pierre Louÿs’ The Twilight of the Nymphs. The original text, Le Crépuscule des Nymphes, had been published in 1925. In his Photobiography, Beaton writes, ‘Another [friend] was translating Pierre Louys, and would I care to do photographic illustrations? The publishers were an unknown firm [The Fortune Press] and could not afford to pay much. But what about £25 for six? I became very busy on Saturdays and Sundays.’ The photographic illustrations became drawings and the final total is five, rather than six. Beaton provided graphic illustrations to Louÿs' classical tales on Leda, Ariadne, The House on the Nile, Byblis and Danaë. Although reproduced here in black-and-white, the drawings appear to have been originally created in bright colour. They are Beaton’s first published illustrations within a book.


Pierre Louys. Translated by Phillis Duveen. With an Introduction by Shane Leslie. With drawings by Cecil Beaton. The Fortune Press. London. 1928. First edition. No. 89 from a limited edition of 1,200 copies on English un-bleached hand made paper. Hardback, octavo; brown cloth-bound boards, gilt title to spine, dust jacket, pages uncut. 107 pages. 5 b&w hors texte plates with illustrations by Beaton. English. 250 x 160mm. 0.6kg. . Near fine, in very good dust jacket; jacket has some slight shelf wear with some light wear to spine ends, browning to spine; light bump to head of spine, top edge dusty.