The Poetical Works of John Milton. London: Printed for Jacob Tonson, 1720, 4to.
A STUNNING VERY EARLY SET OF THE WORKS OF JOHN MILTON, PROBABLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EDITION OF THE 18TH CENTURY WITH FANTASTIC TYPOGRAPHY AND ILLUSTRATIONS THROUGHOUT.
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Two large quarto volumes containing Milton's Poetical Works, including Paradise Lost, Paradise Regain'd, Samson Agonistes, etc. A very readable copy with beautiful typography - large font, spacing, and wide margins. Illustrated throughout with etched divisional head and tailpieces by Gerard Vander Gucht and Samuel Gribelin after Louis Cheron.
Certainly the most beautiful edition of Milton we have encountered to date, being even more remarkable for its earliness, with Paradise Lost being first published just a few decades prior in 1667 and Paradise Regain'd in 1671. The first collected works of Milton was a much inferior production and arrived in 1697. It is therefore not only one of the earliest obtainable editions of Milton's works, but one of the finest too.
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Size: 240 x 290 mm (approx., each)
Condition:
[(2), frontis, t.p., A1-A4, a1-a4, B1-4H4, (2)]; [(2), t.p., a1-a2, B1-3X4, (2)]
Uniform half calf over marbled boards with tooled labels to the spines between raised bands. Some rubbing to spines with wear at heads. Shelf wear. All boards are securely attached. Labels a little chipped with minor loss. Marbled boards scuffed as typical. Bindings are early to mid 19th century. Very minor loss to corners. Without shelf lean. Collates as complete through both volumes. Page edges coloured red, top edges dulled with a little loss to colour at the bottom. A little sporadic foxing but generally extremely clean throughout, mildly toned, endpapers foxed. Early ink ownership inscription to head of ffep (recto of frontis leaf). Some expert leaf edge repairs which are practically unnoticeable unless upon very close inspection. Final leaf of second volume (index) torn and attached to a blank thus with some loss to approximately half of the leaf.
