The Victoria Regia: A Volume of Original Contributions in Poetry and Prose

London: Printed and Published by Emily Faithfull and Co 1861 First edition of the first book printed at the Victoria Press, which was founded by Emily Faithfull (1835 - 1895) in 1860. Faithfull's preface details her motivations in establishing the Victoria Press, the process of training women as compositors, and the contributions of women to the printing of the present work. Aside from acting as compositors, Faithfull notes that a woman designed the initial letters for the work, and that they were engraved by women, some of whom were pupils at the Royal Female School of Art (p. vii). Original beveled-edge blue cloth with boards and spine elaborately decorated in gilt. All edges gilt. Dark red coated endpapers. . Large octavo. . With initial letters (designed and engraved by women) throughout. Dedicated to Queen Victoria (the present work earned Emily Faithfull her position as the official printer and publisher to the Queen). Rubbing and some wear to board edges. Head and foot of spine are worn. Cracked front hinge reinforced with archival tape. Top margin of title-page neatly repaired. Pages mostly bright and clean throughout. Despite the wear, still a good copy in its original cloth binding, with the gilt mostly bright. An anthology produced by an important woman publisher to promote the employment of women in printing. Faithfull also cites Bessie Rayner Parkes Belloc (1829 – 1925) as the inspiration for opening the press: Belloc "was so convinced of the opening afforded by the printing trade, and that nothing but sufficient capital and a fair trial were required for success, that she purchased a small press, in order to make herself practically acquainted with the art of printing, and capable of assisting in the direction of any effort that might be made for training female compositors," (pp. vi-vii). Faithfull worked at the press for several weeks, which convinced her that "any intelligent industrious girl, under a proper apprenticeship, could earn her living as a compositor," (p. vii). Upon establishing the Victoria Press, she provided training for women interested in printing and employed mostly women as typesetters and proofreaders. With previously unpublished contributions by over fifty writers, including Tennyson, Harriet Martineau, Thackeray, Isa Craig, Anthony Trollope, Bessie Parkes Belloc, and Adelaide Procter.