William Morris

Copyright, 1902
BY
G. P. PUTNAM’S SONS

Published, October, 1902
Reprinted, June, 1903; December, 1905

The Knickerbocker Press, New York

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PREFACE.

The personal life of William Morris is already known to us through Mr.Mackail’s admirable biography as fully, probably, as we shall ever knowit. My own endeavour has been to present a picture of Morris’s busy careerperhaps not less vivid for the absence of much detail, and showing onlythe man and his work as they appeared to the outer public.

I have used as a basis for my narrative, the volumes by Mr. Mackail;William Morris, his Art, his Writings, and his Public Life, by AymerVallance; The Books of William Morris, by H. Buxton Forman; numerousarticles in periodicals, and Morris’s own varied works.

I wish to express my indebtedness to Mr. Bulkley of 42 East 14th Street,New York City, for permission to reproduce a number of Morris patterns inhis possession, notably a fragment of the St. James’s wall-paper.

Much material for the letter-press and for the illustrations I haveobtained through the Boston Public[Pg iv] Library. The Froissart pages werefound there and most of the Kelmscott publications from which I havequoted.

The bibliography is that prepared by Mr. S. C. Cockerell for the lastvolume of Mr. Morris issued by the Kelmscott Press, under the title of ANote by William Morris on His Aims in Founding the Kelmscott Press. Tothe Cockerell bibliography have been added a few notes of my own.

E. L. C.

Brooklyn, Sept. 10, 1902.

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CONTENTS.