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Rackham's Color Illustrations for Wagner's "Ring"
"His pictures, which seemed to me then [aged 13] to be the very music made visible, plunged me a few fathoms deeper into my delight. I have seldom coveted anything as I coveted that book." — C.S. Lewis
Before portraying Wagner's "Ring," Arthur Rackham (1867–1939) had become England's leading illustrator through his interpretations of fairy and fantastic Grimm's Fairy Tales , Rip van Winkle , Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens , A Midsummer-Night's Dream . With his insight into elves, twisted oaks, and bearded heroes, Wagner was the logical with the "Ring," Rackham brought his talent for ethereal watercolor and line into new realms of adult mythology.
This edition reproduces, in full color, all 64 watercolor illustrations from Siegfried & The Twilight of the Gods (1911) and The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie (1912). The original English and American editions also contained black-and-white vignettes and tailpieces, a selection of which appear the original text, a dated English translation of the libretto, has been replaced by comprehensive descriptive captions and an introduction by James Spero.
Rackham poured all his mature fancy into the "Ring." The gnarled Nibelung Alberich sports with teasing Rhinemaidens, fiery Loge and lordly Wotan tussle with giants and serpents. An ecstatic Brünnhilde is finally consumed on Siegfried's funeral pyre in perhaps the most successful representation of this scene anywhere, either graphically or theatrically. Wagner's Teutonic forests and caves give Rackham free reign for his brooding, haunting nature backgrounds; characters, costumes, and all the tiny details are painted with such textual accuracy and empathy that today's opera companies who wish to return to staging the "Ring" in the traditional manner turn to Rackham's paintings for guidance.
The painstaking reproduction of these artworks brings Arthur Rackham's most heroic visions to the many collectors and admirers who cannot obtain the expensive out-of-print editions. With the aid of the clear captions, the Wagnerian cycle may be followed once again in its most time-honored and rich interpretation.
Before portraying Wagner's "Ring," Arthur Rackham (1867–1939) had become England's leading illustrator through his interpretations of fairy and fantastic Grimm's Fairy Tales , Rip van Winkle , Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens , A Midsummer-Night's Dream . With his insight into elves, twisted oaks, and bearded heroes, Wagner was the logical with the "Ring," Rackham brought his talent for ethereal watercolor and line into new realms of adult mythology.
This edition reproduces, in full color, all 64 watercolor illustrations from Siegfried & The Twilight of the Gods (1911) and The Rhinegold & The Valkyrie (1912). The original English and American editions also contained black-and-white vignettes and tailpieces, a selection of which appear the original text, a dated English translation of the libretto, has been replaced by comprehensive descriptive captions and an introduction by James Spero.
Rackham poured all his mature fancy into the "Ring." The gnarled Nibelung Alberich sports with teasing Rhinemaidens, fiery Loge and lordly Wotan tussle with giants and serpents. An ecstatic Brünnhilde is finally consumed on Siegfried's funeral pyre in perhaps the most successful representation of this scene anywhere, either graphically or theatrically. Wagner's Teutonic forests and caves give Rackham free reign for his brooding, haunting nature backgrounds; characters, costumes, and all the tiny details are painted with such textual accuracy and empathy that today's opera companies who wish to return to staging the "Ring" in the traditional manner turn to Rackham's paintings for guidance.
The painstaking reproduction of these artworks brings Arthur Rackham's most heroic visions to the many collectors and admirers who cannot obtain the expensive out-of-print editions. With the aid of the clear captions, the Wagnerian cycle may be followed once again in its most time-honored and rich interpretation.
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Arthur Rackham
704 books145 followersArthur Rackham (1867-1939) was a British illustrator and translator of books in the English and Spanish languages.
He was born in London as one of 12 children. At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art.
In 1892, he quit his job and started working for The Westminster Budget as a reporter and illustrator. His first book illustrations were published in 1893 in To the Other Side by Thomas Rhodes, but his first serious commission was in 1894 for The Dolly Dialogues, the collected sketches of Anthony Hope, who later went on to write The Prisoner of Zenda. Book illustrating then became Rackham's career for the rest of his life.
In 1903, he married Edyth Starkie, with whom he had one daughter, Barbara, in 1908. Rackham won a gold medal at the Milan International Exhibition in 1906 and another one at the Barcelona International Exposition in 1912. His works were included in numerous exhibitions, including one at the Louvre in Paris in 1914. Arthur Rackham died 1939 of cancer in his home in Limpsfield, Surrey.
-from Wikipedia
He was born in London as one of 12 children. At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art.
In 1892, he quit his job and started working for The Westminster Budget as a reporter and illustrator. His first book illustrations were published in 1893 in To the Other Side by Thomas Rhodes, but his first serious commission was in 1894 for The Dolly Dialogues, the collected sketches of Anthony Hope, who later went on to write The Prisoner of Zenda. Book illustrating then became Rackham's career for the rest of his life.
In 1903, he married Edyth Starkie, with whom he had one daughter, Barbara, in 1908. Rackham won a gold medal at the Milan International Exhibition in 1906 and another one at the Barcelona International Exposition in 1912. His works were included in numerous exhibitions, including one at the Louvre in Paris in 1914. Arthur Rackham died 1939 of cancer in his home in Limpsfield, Surrey.
-from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 20, 2019
Rackham uses a limited palette of browns and yellows (with the occasional and rather shocking appearance of a blue or a coral) to create a series of incredibly lush, mysterious, and often intensely romantic illustrations for this over the top epic. color me surprised!
July 11, 2019
Gorgeous artwork and a really good story.I listened to Wagner while reading it.
June 20, 2024
The Ring Cycle Illustrated
In 64 full page watercolor prints, Arthur Rackham presented the essence of Wagner's Ring Cycle in sequence. Each photo includes a couple of sentences in a caption beneath to place the art in context with the opera libretto. The book is paperback printed on heavy coated stock. It is an enlarged reprint of a classic work.
I have these prints on a deck of cards. The painting of Loge/Loki spreading flames around the sleeping Walküre/Valkyrie Brünnhilde on the mountain is on the backs of the cards. All the other prints are on the 54 card faces and jokers. But, the detail is easier to see in the book.
C.S. Lewis treasured this book, in the original. Tolkein was inspired by Wagner's Ring Cycle before he created his version of the myths. The book is well worth having.
In 64 full page watercolor prints, Arthur Rackham presented the essence of Wagner's Ring Cycle in sequence. Each photo includes a couple of sentences in a caption beneath to place the art in context with the opera libretto. The book is paperback printed on heavy coated stock. It is an enlarged reprint of a classic work.
I have these prints on a deck of cards. The painting of Loge/Loki spreading flames around the sleeping Walküre/Valkyrie Brünnhilde on the mountain is on the backs of the cards. All the other prints are on the 54 card faces and jokers. But, the detail is easier to see in the book.
C.S. Lewis treasured this book, in the original. Tolkein was inspired by Wagner's Ring Cycle before he created his version of the myths. The book is well worth having.
February 11, 2018
Rackham and Wagner - two of my biggest inspirations and influences combined. I've loved Rackham's drawing style since I was a kid (I know it doesn't show, to those used only to seeing my adult illustrations) but this gorgrous title sits on my 'special shelf' beside the computer for constant reference. My only criticism is that the book's paperback construction probably won't stand up to my personal demands, and if I can find a hardback edition somewhere for a sane price I'll probably invest in the upgrade.
For anyone who cares about art, illustration, the origins of modern fantasy character design or is just a Wagnerite - or who just wants to see a great British artist in full flow and at the peak of his almighty powers - this art truly does justice to the epic and tragic scope of Wagner's masterwork.
For anyone who cares about art, illustration, the origins of modern fantasy character design or is just a Wagnerite - or who just wants to see a great British artist in full flow and at the peak of his almighty powers - this art truly does justice to the epic and tragic scope of Wagner's masterwork.
June 10, 2015
A haunting and ethereal collection. Rackham masterfully evokes the cold "northernness" of Wagner's operatic Norse mythology.
October 15, 2022
The teenage CS Lewis loved Wagner's Ring, and was entranced by Rackham's illustrations. I've never read through the Ring Cycle, and, generally speaking, anything Lewis loved is worth trying, so onto my to-read list it went. But the ILL department sent me a collection of the illustrations, rather than an illustrated copy of the text. Thankfully, the illustrations were captioned, so I got a rough idea of what was supposed to be happening.
The illustrations themselves are gorgeous. I can see why Rackham was the leading illustrator of his day and why his work would have captured Lewis's imagination. A word of warning, though--almost every woman pictured is a bit lacking in clothes. So it's not a book I'd leave around for kids to find.
The illustrations themselves are gorgeous. I can see why Rackham was the leading illustrator of his day and why his work would have captured Lewis's imagination. A word of warning, though--almost every woman pictured is a bit lacking in clothes. So it's not a book I'd leave around for kids to find.
December 28, 2017
This gorgeous collection of illustrations by Arthur Rackham depict major events from Wagner's cycle of operas, Der Ring des Nibelungen. The large format pictures are very well recreated and capture the evocative and fanciful brilliance of Rackham.
August 15, 2017
These are the illustrations for the operas in Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle. They are hauntingly creepy in Arthur Rackham's signature style.
August 29, 2017
This lovely book has beautiful images, and the captions summarize the story. I'd love it if these were released for more of the old, out-of-print books that were published by Rackham.
May 21, 2018
Dreamy, moody watercolor illustrations.
July 25, 2021
Excellent illustrations, though the muted palette comes across as muddy at times, and almost every female character is depicted with a breast gratuitously uncovered at some point. The text beneath each illustration is helpful for anyone unfamiliar with the story of the Ring Cycle.
Read
June 13, 2025A very short read, but I will be reveling in these gorgeous illustrations for years to come. 😍
March 8, 2017
When I read Norse Mythology in 2010, the predicaments of protagonists always haunted me. Compared with Greek Myth, there was too much lamentation in every plot, especially in the advent of Ragnarok. Later I came across this printed book in Shanghai Book Fair, reflecting the memory of "Rhinegold". The sad love story broke my heart thrice.
August 4, 2011
Arthur Rackham is among the greatest illustrators of what has come to be called 'fantasy' literature. His renderings of scenes from Dickens, Barrie, Grahame, and even Shakespeare are often flawless and many have ultimately proved definitive.
Here he tackles the daunting scope of Richard Wagner's vast operatic cycle DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN, and he is so successful that his images have become the model for most of its traditional stage design ever since they were exhibited in 1912 at the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris. Yet Rackham achieves more than merely the giving of face and form to Wagner's characters and scenes. These illustrations capture a sense of space and height, light and darkness, beauty and tragedy, promise and doom which may be described as music to the eyes. C.S. Lewis first beheld them as a boy and later wrote, 'Pure "Northerness" engulfed me: a vision of huge, clear spaces hanging above the Atlantic in the endless twilight of Northern summer, remoteness, severity ...'
For me, the most evocative image in this collection is from DIE WALKURE, Act II. In the foreground we see Brunnhilde anguishing over her orders from the just-departed Wotan. Helmet cast upon the ground, her face and posture effectively communicate distress and isolation; yet most remarkable is how Rackham echoes the Valkyrie's state of mind in the landscape beyond her. The falling hillside; the stark, scraggly saplings scattered into the distance; the shadowy silhouette of other mountains marking the far horizon; the low-hanging clouds; and the muted shades of grey, gold, and brown all convey an overwhelming sense of loneliness as cold and haunted as it is beautiful.
Here he tackles the daunting scope of Richard Wagner's vast operatic cycle DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN, and he is so successful that his images have become the model for most of its traditional stage design ever since they were exhibited in 1912 at the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris. Yet Rackham achieves more than merely the giving of face and form to Wagner's characters and scenes. These illustrations capture a sense of space and height, light and darkness, beauty and tragedy, promise and doom which may be described as music to the eyes. C.S. Lewis first beheld them as a boy and later wrote, 'Pure "Northerness" engulfed me: a vision of huge, clear spaces hanging above the Atlantic in the endless twilight of Northern summer, remoteness, severity ...'
For me, the most evocative image in this collection is from DIE WALKURE, Act II. In the foreground we see Brunnhilde anguishing over her orders from the just-departed Wotan. Helmet cast upon the ground, her face and posture effectively communicate distress and isolation; yet most remarkable is how Rackham echoes the Valkyrie's state of mind in the landscape beyond her. The falling hillside; the stark, scraggly saplings scattered into the distance; the shadowy silhouette of other mountains marking the far horizon; the low-hanging clouds; and the muted shades of grey, gold, and brown all convey an overwhelming sense of loneliness as cold and haunted as it is beautiful.
July 30, 2015
Most of Rackham's fairytale drawings have a quiet intensity, due to his somber palettes and twisting lines, but none so intense as his interpretations of Wagner's Ring trilogy. His style perfectly conveys the Nordic and Germanic themes of the story and gives the cast of characters a quite fitting loft heroic style that is reminiscent of the Operatic stage and the mythic sagas. Most wonderfully represented, in my opinion, are the mysterious Rhinemaidens, whose task it is to safeguard the Rhinegold. They have an eerily etheric quality that really only Rackham could produce, as few could have balanced the lightness of water sprites so carefully with the harsher (and thematically darker) tones of the Rhine. Also quite stunning - though admittedly grotesque - are the Nibelung. The gnarled little men are truely frightening to behold, and I am sure that they were one of the inspirations behind Tolkien's (and Peter Jackson's/Alan Lee's interpretation of) Smeagol/Gollum - albeit without the mass of bristling hair. It is no wonder that contemporary collectors lauded this group of paintings as superb, since they break the self-imposed boundaries of youthful subject matter that have been Rackham's forté previously as well as being obvious examples of his true artistic merit.
August 6, 2013
This is a wonderful set of visualizations of narrative events from Wagner's Ring Cycle. Arthur Rackham was a major talent in the field of graphic arts, and his style lends itself naturally to the mythical world of The Ring. Each color plate is accompanied by brief text setting the image within the overall plot of Wagner's epic, and even those new to the subject matter will be able to understand the story with this great combination of images and text.
July 20, 2021
Magnificent paintings of scenes from Wagner's Ring of the Nibelungen.
May 28, 2015
Can I just plagiarize C.S. Lewis? He said it perfectly!
June 22, 2015
I either love or hate Wagner on any given day, but this is hands down the best experience I've run into for the ring cycle - lovely art, and no screaming.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews