The Poets of Great Britain (Extra-illustrated)
- New York and London: [Chiswick Press], 1900
New York and London: [Chiswick Press], 1900. Near Fine. Two small octavo volumes (6 1/2 x 4 inches; 165 x 102 mm.). [i]-lxiv, [1]-337, [1, imprimateur]; [i]-xvi, [1]-387, [1, blank] pp. Title-pages printed in black and red, extra-illustrated by the insertion of twelve engraved plates, including four hand-colored, all with tissue-guards, with a life of John Milton. Handsomely bound almost certainly by The Harcourt Bindery (although unsigned) ca. 1900, in full red morocco, covers with double gilt border with fancy corner-pieces, enclosing a spray of flowers elaborately stamped in gilt and with green morocco leaf inlays and buff morocco inlaid flowers. Spines with four raised bands decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments and with three olive green morocco flower inlays. Highly decorative gilt turn-ins surrounding an oval panel of green morocco decorated in gilt with a large central gilt flower with inlaid red morocco flower head, green moire silk end-leaves, all edges gilt. Minimal rubbing to joints, otherwise fine.
John Milton (1608-1674), a poet and civil servant, was a prolific author best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667). These two volumes celebrate his literary output by reproducing his poetry, including Paradise Lost. The collection comes from a series on The Poets of Great Britain and has been enchantingly bound with botanical leather inlays. Since 1900, The Harcourt Bindery of Boston has made fine cloth and leather art bindings by hand, and it remains the largest for-profit hand bookbindery in the U.S. When it was founded in 1900, Boston was home to over 47 book binderies and 1,452 craftsmen (Harcourt Bindery). Since its founding the binder has weathered the Depression, WWII, and changing hands three times between 1927 and 1931. Not only does the Harcourt Bindery offer professional services, but it also offers educational courses to keep the arts of hand binding and book making alive. Near Fine.
John Milton (1608-1674), a poet and civil servant, was a prolific author best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667). These two volumes celebrate his literary output by reproducing his poetry, including Paradise Lost. The collection comes from a series on The Poets of Great Britain and has been enchantingly bound with botanical leather inlays. Since 1900, The Harcourt Bindery of Boston has made fine cloth and leather art bindings by hand, and it remains the largest for-profit hand bookbindery in the U.S. When it was founded in 1900, Boston was home to over 47 book binderies and 1,452 craftsmen (Harcourt Bindery). Since its founding the binder has weathered the Depression, WWII, and changing hands three times between 1927 and 1931. Not only does the Harcourt Bindery offer professional services, but it also offers educational courses to keep the arts of hand binding and book making alive. Near Fine.