Maxfield Parrish – Illustrations for Arabian Nights 1909

Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. His career spanned fifty years and was wildly successful: his painting Daybreak (1922) is the most popular art print of the 20th century.

One Thousand and One Nights  is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the Arabian Nights, from the first English-language edition (c. 1706–1721), which rendered the title as The Arabian Nights’ Entertainment.

Presenting the Arabian Nights, illustrated by Maxfield Parrish, one of America’s most loved illustrator. First edition, published by Scribners & Sons, NY, 1909. This is Parrish’s most popular book and is still in print today. It is not his best work and the quality of reproduction has lots of be desired. It is far behind the quality of children’s books published in England during the same period. Still, we’ll have to note that Parrish’s colors are not easy to reproduce accurately by any means.

I prefer the Poems of Childhood and in my opinion his best book, Knave of Hearts over the Arabian Nights. Enjoy these wonderful illustrations.

Art Gallery: Maxfield Parrish – The Arabian Nights 1909