Friendship's Offering of Sentiment and Mirth. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1844, 8vo.
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A lovely book in the original publisher's royal binding with a beautiful fore-edge painting depicting a rural scene, probably a picnic by the river. Signed 'A.R.' This is probably the same artist as with a fore-edge painting on a Bible which sold at Christie's 7th Dec 2022 lot 55 for $2,142 which Christie's described as "an early 19th century example of a fore-edge painting... possibly signed 'A.R.'"
The Royal Collection Trust has a copy of the same title which was presented to Victoria and Albert by Queen Victoria's mother in 1843 (RCIN 1190637)
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Size: 147 x 220 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[viii, 240pp., 24pp. (advertisements)]
Contemporary full cloth, a royal binding. Externally bright without loss to gilt. Minor shelf and edge wear. Minor rubbing along the joints. Hinges cracked, exposing the netting at the front. All edges gilt with a fore-edge painting. The paint on the fore-edge is visible when the book is closed. Foxing to most of the plates throughout and verso pages, endpapers, else, clean throughout. Fore-edge painting shows nicely and is signed in the bottom right corner as A. R. Without any ownership inscription but with an inverted bookplate to the rear pastedown of Peter Stewart Young Tillingham.
