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Black, gilt-decorated leather, triple gilt-ruled borders to covers surrounding an impressed design and further double ruled border with gilt motif at each corner, gilt decorated edges extending to border the silk paste-down. xv+381, all edges gilt, pink silk moire-pattern 'endpapers', 3 sm. brown patches, 1 verso t.p. & 2 to facing page (1 v.small), vertical strips of browning towards gutter on pp.164/5 offset from silk bound-in place marker, covers very attractive and, bar some joint rubbing, undamaged and clean, gilt-lettered & paneled sp. An interesting copy. Letter from Whewell to Sir John Lubbock (senior) on fr. blank fly-leaf dated May 25 1850, covering 2 sides of small notepaper, regretfully declining invitation to High Elms and arranging a later visit, giving regards to Lady Lubbock; verso fr. free end-paper has inscription: 'Janet Shuttleworth/ Octr 1836/from Mr Davies Gilbert'. This is almost certainly Janet Shuttleworth (1817-1872) - who was 19 the previous month - and later married educationist & novelist James Kay, who officially added her name to his on marriage and gained right to sport the Shuttleworth coat of arms, as well as her fortune; Davies Gilbert is presumably either the father, 1767-1839, who was President of the Royal Society, or his son (1811-1854). How this copy shuttled across to the Lubbocks one can but speculate, or the letter may indeed have been given to Janet by Lubbock on a later occasion. The Royal Society provides a Gilbert-Lubbock link, and both the Shuttleworths and Gilberts were very wealthy aristocratic lines. This copy is from the library of Robert M.Young, eminent historian of science and Darwin scholar, and has, in pencil, 'To Bob from Tim, 1969', top fr.blank fly-leaf. This last is eraseable of course, but should really be left in situ as adding a further association. Seller Inventory # 003147
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