The Ingoldsby Legends is a collection of myths, legends, ghost stories and poetry written supposedly by Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor, actually a pen-name of an English clergyman named Richard Harris Barham. The legends were first printed during 1837 as a regular series in the magazine Bentley's Miscellany and later in New Monthly Magazine. The legends were illustrated by John Leech and George Cruikshank. They proved immensely popular and were compiled into books published in 1840, 1842 and 1847 by Richard Bentley.
The stories were revived in 1898 with illustrations by Arthur Rackham. However, the joint publishers JM Dent and Co of London and EP Dutton and Co of New York desired "to present the Ingoldsby Legends in something like an'Edition Definitive De Luxe'" and so commissioned Arthur Rackham to re-do the original illustrations and add more for this 'new enlarged format' edition. This De Luxe edition contains 24 stunning 'tipped-in' color plates, 12 tinted plates and more than 60 monotone images, it is the ultimate Rackham... a pure delight.
The first published edition of 1898 was last reprinted 1949.
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Hand in hand the murderers stand
By one, by two, by three! (1907)
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To Tappington mill-dam (1907)
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1898, 1930
Patty Morgan the Milkmaid's Story
"Look at the Clock"
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The identical face of his poor defunct Wife!
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1907
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1898, 1930
Grey Dolphin
A Legend of Sheppey
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He meditated a mighty draft
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"Emmanuel Saddleton, truss up your points, and follow me!"
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One kick! - It was but one! - but such a one.(1907)
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1898, 1930
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Then there was a pretty to-do, heads flew one way - arms and legs another.
(1907)
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1898, 1930
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1898, 1930
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1907
The Ghost
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His wife would often try the density of his poor skull
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If Orpheus first produced the waltz.
1907
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1898, 1930
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Beckon'd the Cobbler with its wan right hand
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"A Babby"![]()
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The Coachman thinks he is driving Old Nick
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A man sitting there with his head on his knees!
1898, 1930
The Witches' Frolic
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And there gossips sitting there,
By one, by two, by three
1907
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Now tread we are a measure
1898, 1930
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They can't find the ring
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That little jackdaw hops off with the ring
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Heedless of Grammar they all cried, "That 's him!"
A Lay of St Dunstan
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If any one lied, - or any one lied
1907
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1898, 1930
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Peter, the lay-brother, sallow and stare,
peep'd through the key-whole, and - what saw he there?
(1907)
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1898, 1930
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A flood of brown-stout he was up to his knees in
(1907)
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1898,1930
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Limb from limp, they dismember'd him.
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And the maids cried "Good gracious, how very tenacious !"
1907
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1898, 1930
The Lay of St Odille
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These stiles sadly bothered Odille
1907
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1898, 1930
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What, indeed, could she do ?
1907
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1898, 1930
The stories were revived in 1898 with illustrations by Arthur Rackham. However, the joint publishers JM Dent and Co of London and EP Dutton and Co of New York desired "to present the Ingoldsby Legends in something like an'Edition Definitive De Luxe'" and so commissioned Arthur Rackham to re-do the original illustrations and add more for this 'new enlarged format' edition. This De Luxe edition contains 24 stunning 'tipped-in' color plates, 12 tinted plates and more than 60 monotone images, it is the ultimate Rackham... a pure delight.
The first published edition of 1898 was last reprinted 1949.
Titlepage (De Luxe 1907)
Arthur Rackham wrote to this edition:
In 1898 Messrs. Dent and Co. first published the " Ingoldsby Legends," with about one hundred illustrations of mine. This book has met with a very satisfactory reception, but the publishers have felt with me that, with the addition of some new drawings, a careful overhauling would make it worthy of publication in a more important form, in which greater prominence could be given to the illustrations by better and larger reproductions, including a greater number of illustrations in
colour. To this end the following has been done : The frontispiece and the coloured illustration facing page 508 have been specially drawn, and all the other illustrations in colour have been worked on to a considerable extent, and specially coloured for this edition. A few illustrations in the earlier edition have been omitted, and in their place have been added those facing page 254 and on pages vi, 25, 37, 316, 320 and 333. Many of the pen drawings have been reconsidered and worked on again—those which have been worked on to any great extent being now signed with both dates, 1898 and 1907. Of the rest, reproductions on a larger scale have been made in all but a few cases, and the text has been revised and entirely reset for this edition.
ARTHUR RACKHAM.
Hampstead, 1907.
colour. To this end the following has been done : The frontispiece and the coloured illustration facing page 508 have been specially drawn, and all the other illustrations in colour have been worked on to a considerable extent, and specially coloured for this edition. A few illustrations in the earlier edition have been omitted, and in their place have been added those facing page 254 and on pages vi, 25, 37, 316, 320 and 333. Many of the pen drawings have been reconsidered and worked on again—those which have been worked on to any great extent being now signed with both dates, 1898 and 1907. Of the rest, reproductions on a larger scale have been made in all but a few cases, and the text has been revised and entirely reset for this edition.
ARTHUR RACKHAM.
Hampstead, 1907.
We show here the pictures of the 1907 De Luxe edition and, as far as they different, the pictures of 1898 edition reprinted in 1930.
Titlepage 1898, 1930
Around, and around, and around they go (1907)
The Spectre of Tappington
The fair Caroline
Whipped his long bony legs into them in a twinkling
Came close behind him, ans with the flat side of the spade ...
1898, 1930
By one, by two, by three! (1907)
There's an old woman dwells upon tappington Moor (1907)
Patty Morgan the Milkmaid's Story
"Look at the Clock"
Grey Dolphin
A Legend of Sheppey
(1907)
The Ghost
1907
18989, 1930
A cow may yet be sometimes seen galloping like mad.
1907, the picture of 1898 edition shows the cow without any background.
Never was man more swiftly disrobed
The little man had seated himself in the centre of the
circle upon the large skull
(1907)
circle upon the large skull
(1907)
1898, 1930
1898, 1930
The Witches' Frolic
By one, by two, by three
1907
1898, 1930
They can't find the ring
That little jackdaw hops off with the ring
A Lay of St Dunstan
1907
peep'd through the key-whole, and - what saw he there?
(1907)
(1907)
1907
The Lay of St Odille
1907
1907
