The Gypsy two numbers, complete Allan Odle with the Easter Rising slip 1915-16
ODLE, Allan (1888-1948). The Gypsy. Numbers 1 and 2, complete. May 1915 and May 1916.
Two numbers, the first in original pictorial boards, printed in red and black, 230 x 290 mm; the second in original pictorial wrappers, 220 x 270 mm. No. 1: 89 pp., followed by 3 pp. advertisements, with subscription slip and an additional printed slip advertising the Charles Conder reproduction. No. 2: pp. 92-146, followed by 8 pp. advertisements, with the publisher's explanatory slip attached to the front wrapper. Illustrated throughout, with cover designs, illustrations and decorations by Allan Odle. Both in good condition only. The first number's backstrip is loose and splitting along the joint, though still attached; boards toned and marked, with wear to the extremities. The second has loss to the spine, particularly at the head, and the binding is pulling away at the top, though all leaves remain held together. Loss to the upper left corner of the rear wrapper and to the margins of a rear advertisement leaf; marginal damage to a leaf of "The Secret Glory", clear of the text. Some foxing and toning.
A complete set of this short-lived literary and artistic periodical, distinguished by Allan Odle's elaborate grotesque designs. The contributors include Arthur Symons, Walter de la Mare, Katharine Tynan, Edmund Gosse, A. E. Waite and Richard Le Gallienne, with letters and poems by Richard Middleton and instalments of Arthur Machen's "The Secret Glory" in both numbers. Other illustrations include work by Nina Hamnett, Charles Conder, Albert Rothenstein and Paul Nash. The second number also contains Israel Zangwill's "Russia and the Jews".
The second and final number retains its striking contemporary notice of disruption caused by the Easter Rising. Dated 1 May 1916 and printed in red, the slip asks readers' indulgence for the cover and "make-up" of the number, explaining that the Dublin premises of the Gypsy Press were "situate in the heart of the affected area". A direct connection between the production of this illustrated literary magazine and the events unfolding in Dublin. The second number is particularly rare in its complete state with the slip on the front.