Horace Walpole and His World - Select Passages from His Letters

BEFORE SOCIAL MEDIA THERE WAS HORACE WALPOLE - THE GREAT GOSSIP, COLLECTOR, AND INSIDER OF GEORGIAN ENGLAND. A handsomely bound collection of the wit and wisdom of Horace Walpole, the 18th-century Earl of Orford and man of letters. This edition is distinguished by its fine half-calf binding and eight high-quality engravings after paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir Thomas Lawrence. Key Features: +++ Visuals: Illustrated with 8 tissue-guarded copper-plate engravings (mezzotints), including portraits of Walpole, Laurence Sterne, and the Duchess of Devonshire. +++ Binding: Bound in period half tan polished calf over marbled boards with matching marbled endpapers and text block edges. The spine features five raised bands, intricate gilt floral tooling in the compartments, and a contrasting black morocco title label. +++ Content: A curated selection of Walpole's famous letters, offering a biting and humorous social history of Georgian England, art, politics, and court gossip. +++ Imprint:: New York: Scribner and Welford [Printed in London by Seeley], 1884. +++ Dimensions: 7.75 inches tall / vii, 296 pages Condition: Very Good -- The binding is tight and square. Text is clean with light, even age-toning. There is moderate shelf handling wear, primarily rubbing to the leather at the joints and corners (typical of calfskin). The gilt on the spine remains bright and attractive. Historical Significance: Horace Walpole was the ultimate insider of 18th-century England. The son of the first Prime Minister, creator of the first Gothic novel ('The Castle of Otranto'), and builder of Strawberry Hill, he is best remembered today for his letters. This collection, edited by L.B. Seeley, was a popular late-Victorian attempt to distill Walpole's thousands of letters into a single readable volume, packaged in a binding meant for a gentleman's library. Keywords: Horace Walpole, Fine Binding, Polished Calf, Joshua Reynolds, Georgian England, 18th Century History, Letter Writing, Strawberry Hill, Social History, Engravings.…