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237 x 150 mm. (9 1/4 x 5 7/8"). viii, lxxi, [1], 351, [1] (ads) pp. VERY ATTRACTIVE CONTEMPORARY SCARLET STRAIGHT-GRAIN MOROCCO, GILT, covers framed by Greek key roll and flower-and-chains tooling, raised bands, spine panels densely gilt with repeating rows of alternating star and bead tools, black morocco label, gilt-rolled turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. WITH A FINE FORE-EDGE PAINTING OF WOBURN ABBEY. In a fleece-lined red cloth slipcase. With three engravings. Front pastedown with engraved armorial bookplate of the Earl of Leitrim. November 2002 obituary of John Robert Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford, laid in at front. Four tiny areas of gilt border damaged (by a too-hot finishing tool?), just a hint of rubbing to extremities, isolated trivial smudges to margins, but a fine copy--clean and fresh internally, in a lovely decorative binding showing few signs of use, and with a vivid fore-edge painting in excellent condition. With a stately fore-edge painting depicting the family seat, this is an attractive copy of a famous woman's letters, the volume once having resided in a nobleman's library. Lady Rachel Russell (1637-1723) was actively involved in high society and Whig politics throughout her life. Her voluminous correspondence, selections of which were first published in 1783, covers many topics, but particular weight is given to the most famous incident in her life, the imprisonment and execution of her second husband, William Russell, Duke of Bedford, for treason due to his involvement in the Rye House Plot. Rachel had been a tireless advocate for his pardon and for the rehabilitation of his reputation after these first efforts had failed; she helped him write a scaffold speech and distributed the speech following his death. Her letters proved popular (note our "Sixth Edition"), not only for their attractive prose, but also because of the lingering public interest in the Plot which is so frequently dealt with here. The fore-edge painting depicts Woburn Abbey, the Russell family estate. Established as a Cistercian abbey in the 12th century, it was deeded to the family in 1547 by King Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries, and the current manor house was constructed in the 1630s. Here, the house is viewed from the east, with the broad pathway shaded by large trees, and a small crimson-clad figure (perhaps William Russell) walking serenely toward the viewer. The artist has made good use of lush, vibrant colors, and the sun-drenched red roof of the house stands out against the pale, cloud-studded sky and the fresh verdant expanse of the grass. The estate is still the home of the Russell family; a former owner of this volume has laid in the obituary of John Robert Russell, the 13th Duke of Bedford, whose decision to turn the estate into a tourist attraction allowed it to stay in the family. The bookplate indicates this copy belonged to the Earl of Leitrim, likely Nathaniel Clements, the 2nd Earl, an Anglo-Irish nobleman who was himself a prominent Whig politician. Most bindings as old as this one with a fore-edge painting typically show significant wear as a result of frequent viewing of the painted scene; the present beautifully executed binding, by contrast, is remarkably well preserved.
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