The English Literature Series
During WWII Dulac contributed two series to his American Weekly collection which highlighted English history and literature; King Arthur from 1940 and The Canterbury Tales from 1942. Both series were accompanied by stories written by American author, musician and educator John Erskine. Erskine was best known for his bestseller The Private Life of Helen of Troy, which was made into a movie in 1927.
These editions include an essay from Erskine's 1928 The Delight of Great Books about Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. We have added illustrations from other illustrated editions of these works from the earliest wood blocks from 1495 through the Victorian and Golden Age illustrators. Each book has a Further Reading section with other illustrated editions of the stories by illustrators with some of their famous images. In addition to the Dulac illustrations, some of the illustrators featured are Arthur Rackham, NC Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Hugh Thompson, Aubrey Beardsley, Helen Stratton, Sir Russell W. Flint, WH Robinson, Edward Burne-Jones, HJ Ford, Lancelot Speed, Walter Crane, Maria L Kirk, Anne Anderson, Arthur Szyk, Gustaf Tenggren, etc.
