Odes and Sonnets. Illustrated by Birket Foster, Ornamental Designs by John Sliegh. Engraved and Printed by the Brothers Dalziel. London: George Routledge & Co., 1859, a.e.g., 8vo.
A STUNNING FINE BINDING, BOUND BY RAMAGE, LONDON IN FULL RED MOROCCO WITH FANTASTIC MOROCCO AND GILT INLAYS TO THE FRONT BOARD.
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A fantastic and notably lavish production with illustrations printed in colour. Colour printing in this time period was very expensive and so this would have been a very expensive book at the time. Authors of the various odes and sonnets throughout include Milton, Pope, Southey, Spenser, Cowper, Browne, Wandsworth, Byron, Smollett, Gray, Burns, Shakespeare, Darwin, Marlowe, etc.
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Provenance:
Loose presentation card from Lady Marjorie Beckett, a member of the English aristocracy, reading "with all affection and wishes for true happiness," the recipient is unknown.
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Size: 155 x 216 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(2), h.t., t.p., t.p., vi., pp.9-107, I, (2)]
Very fine full red morocco binding. Raised bands to the spine with compartments tooled in gilt and titles lettered in gilt. Boards lined in gilt. Very attractive stamped gilt and inlayed morocco design to the front board. Spine very slightly, but uniformly, sunned. Very attractive on the shelf. Joints rubbed but with both boards securely attached. Hinges very slightly cracked. Stunning intricate tooled gilt turn-ins. Signed by Ramage, London at the foot of the front turn-in (only). Endpapers edge toned as commensurate with the binding. All edges gilt. Without any attached bookplates or ownership inscription, but with a loose card from Lady Marjorie Beckett reading "with all affection and wishes for true happiness." Internally very clean throughout, exceptionally printed in colour, remarkably without being offset to verso pages.
A truly stunning very fine binding.
[OCLC 1238083923].
