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Scarce in the trade in this condition, there being currently no additional copies available on-line. An attractive set, complete in four volumes, of the Bernard Tauchnitz Edition of the life and letters of Lord Macaulay (Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1800-1859), "Son of Old Aulay," edited and compiled by his nephew, Sir George Otto Trevelyan (1838-1928). Volume I frontis portrait engraving of Lord Macaulay, quite fine, by A. Weger, tissue-protected, producing slight shadowing behind, on title page. The first of the four volumes appears to be a First Edition Thus, being the Bernard Tauchnitz Edition (Todd & Bowden 1988, Nos. 1571-1574, according to previous owner twice-removed), but the remaining three appear to have had bound in half-titles of later issues of same that read Collection of British Authors Tauchnitz Edition, Nos. 1572, 1573, 1574, respectively. Uniformly and handsomely bound in pebbly cloth over boards, dark brown leather over tips and spines, lightly sunned along edges, five raised bands to spines, gilt fleurs-de-lis to each band, some rubbed, gilt lettering over red leather in two tooled compartments to each spine, ditto, and with fine gilt decorations at spine heads and tails. Protected now in stiff Mylar jackets. Toned endpapers, lightly toned text-blocks thereafter. All three edges stained neatly and uniformly in red, and with heavier brown endpapers, the first of each of which is embossed with the stamp that reads "Fonthill Villa, Keynsham, Near Bristol." Faint shadows where once were affixed smallish bookplates inside each front flap. Measuring 6 3/8" x 4 5/8" tall and wide, respectively, they are collated as complete and paginated thus: Volume I: viii, 1-296 pp., including two-page Preface by editor; Volume II: vi, 266 pp.; Volume III: vii, 286 pp.; Volume IV: vi, 281 pp. Macaulay was a British historian and Whig politician, says his Wikipedia entry, "who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster-General between 1846 and 1848." His nephew, Sir George Otto Trevelyan, 2nd Baronet, was a British statesman and author. Trevelyan served two long stints in Scotland under William Ewart Gladstone and the Earl of Rosebery. Trevelyan notes up-front and multiply that his uncle had no plans to publish his life and letters but that posterity demanded that someone do so. The part-biography, part-hagiography is rendered strictly chronologically and according to Lord Macaulay's posts and accomplishments. All in, four fine exemplars of a scarce edition.Member, I.O.B.A., C.B.A., and adherent to the highest ethical standards. Additional postage may be required for oversize or especially heavy volumes, and for sets.
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