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244 x 155 mm. (9 1/2 x 6 1/8"). CXXXI pp., [1] leaf (colophon). LOVELY HONEY BROWN MOROCCO, ELABORATELY GILT, BY RIVIERE & SONS (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers framed by delicate gilt chains, the outer edge punctuated with tiny heart and dot tools, the space between the gilt rules filled with many gilt dots and with 86 trefoils, the central panel with 28 irises extending from the edge of the frame on alternating two and three chain link stems, corner pieces with an oblique iris stem on a background of gilt dots accented by trefoils and small leaves, raised bands, spine panels with an iris rising from a cluster of small leaves, gilt lettering, gilt-ruled turn-ins with trio of irises on a stippled ground at corners, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. In the original felt-lined leather chemise with gilt lettering on spine, and in a marbled paper slipcase (bottom panel carefully reinforced with cellotape). With decorative initials from designs by Blanch McManus printed in orange. A FINE COPY--internally clean, fresh, and bright, and THE BINDING SPARKLING AND UNWORN. This is a famous poet's most famous poem, offered in elegantly vigorous binding from a pre-eminent English workshop. First published in 1850, the elegy "In Memoriam" is a tribute to Tennyson's college friend, Arthur Henry Hallam (1811-33), son of the famous historian Henry Hallam (1777-1859). Tennyson (1809-92) had been publishing verses for seven years before Hallam's death, but after the loss of his friend, nothing from his pen appeared for nearly a decade. During that period, he was working on the present poem, the product of protracted meditation. Written in rhyming quatrains, the poem moves from grief and doubt to certainty that the universe is purposeful. It was a sensational bestseller, striking a deep note of resonance with Victorian readers. The queen herself told the poet, "Next to the Bible, 'In Memoriam' is my comfort." The design of our binding is especially intricate, and the tooling is impeccable, resulting in a notable aesthetic achievement. Riviere is one of the foremost names in the field, partly because the firm did consistently fine work and partly because it was so long in business. Robert Riviere began as a bookseller and binder in Bath in 1829, then set up shop as a binder in London in 1840; in 1881, he took his grandson Percival Calkin into partnership, at which time the firm became known as Riviere & Son, and the bindery continued to do business until 1939. The condition of our volume is impressive; the original chemise has kept the binding safe from the fading of sunlight, so that it looks virtually as it did when it left the bindery. No. 83 OF 100 COPIES reserved for Great Britain, from a total edition of 500.
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