THE EPIC OF HADES in Three Books. [ASSOCIATION COPY] With tipped-in, headed letter paper with penned poetry by the author (third-party explanation to reverse), and association with Franklyn C. Pollard of New York.

Near FINE 1879 hardback (First Edition 1877) in dark green cloth on bevelled boards with highly ornate and very attractive large gilt design to upper cover and titles with device to spine, and with blind stamped design to back board. All edges gilt. A striking, handsome cover, clean and bright with just a small light mark to rearboard. Two bookplates to end-papers, one an old heraldic plate (probably contemporary and connected with Fern Park, Almondsbury) and the other an attractive modern designed plate for Bryan Hall. Clean text throughout with just tiny minimal spotting to edges of preliminaries and similarly to rear. Firm square binding. Striking illustrations showing Burne-Jones and even Blakean influence. Morris (1833-1907) born in Carmarthen, was a literary man, a poet of the Anglo-Welsh School. This, a long poem in blank verse, is considered to be his finest work which he claimed to have written commuting to his legal work on the London Underground - appropriate enough dealing as it does on visits to the classical underworld. Simple truths are said to be expressed in lucid language with a moralistic comment. In 1886 Morris entered into a common law marriage with one Florence Julia Pollard, the 21 year-old daughter of Franklyn C. Pollard of New York. This state of affairs later explained why Queen Victoria passed over him when appointing a new poet laureate. Nine lines or so of his hand-written verse is present on a loose single sheet of headed (Fern Park) writing paper. On the reverse is an explanation that pins down the Morris verse to Fern Park (now Old Down Estate) Tockington, Almondsbury in August 1875 when it was used as a prize for the best sketch done from under a beech tree there and won by Florence Winthrop. Morris was associated with Penbryn / Mount Pleasant and Pen-sarn, Llangunnor, Carmarthen. A Liberal and educationalist, Morris was sometime joint hon. sec. of University College of Wales and Junior Deputy Chancellor of the University of Wales. Morris was interested in the higher education of women and was knighted in 1895. Said to be a re-telling of Greek mythology with a modern (ie. contemporary) allegorical setting. Said to contain his best verse and passages of undeniable force and effect. 10% price reduction now applied. Further 40% price reduction now applied.…