Prisoners of the Tower (2 Vols.)

1959. Half-Leather. Collectible; Very Good. 1959 photo-offset of the long-hand account of the former chief warder of the Tower of London, of all those imprisoned in the Tower, from Flamburd Runnald (Bishop of Durham) in 1101 to Rudolf Hess in 1941. ONLY 3 SETS OF THIS VALUABLE RECORD WERE MADE-- and all 3 were presented to American institutions. After the chief Warder's death, his widow presented the 2 manuscript books to the British military, which then authorized a few sets to be copied in photo-offset. 2 folio volumes, 247 handwritten pages. Clean and solid and VG+. Bound in 1/2 red morocco over red boards. Bright gilt-lettering and rule to the front panels. A wonderful piece of London history (and British criminology) and a rare glimpse into British attitudes toward punishment and imprisonent over the last milenium.