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260 x 195 mm. (10 1/4 x 7 3/4"). vii, [1], 235, [1] pp. Publisher's stiff vellum, smooth spine with gilt lettering, edges untrimmed. In a modern felt-lined blue buckram drop-back box. Decorative initials in red or blue, title page and text leaves with full cribl? border of vined foliation, occasionally inhabited, eight or 10 leaves with more extensive illustrations at head or foot, all engraved by W. J. Linton after illustrations by John Franklin. Front pastedown with ex-libris of Marion Hope Rattey. A Large Paper Copy. McLean, "Victorian Book Design," p. 184. Short, thin cracks to head and tail of front joint, spine vaguely soiled, upper cover with two very small brown spots and one trivial red mark, occasional mild rumpling or naturally occurring variations in the grain or thickness of the vellum (as usual), a couple of minor smudges, but still a very agreeable copy, the binding solid, and without the splaying common in vellum books, the interior clean, fresh, and bright, and the margins extraordinarily wide. This is an infrequently encountered copy of a beautiful Victorian book on vellum, issued by one of the era's top printers. The volume was printed by Edmund Evans (1826-1905), who is now best remembered for his illustrations and advances in color wood engravings. Relatively little is known about this book's production: Ruari McLean tells us that it was "entirely printed" by Evans, but it is unknown whether he was responsible for the design as well (McLean remarks that "if Evans was responsible for its design, it shows his superiority in book-making"). We also are unsure how many copies were printed on vellum, although the general consensus is 10. Regardless, as McLean tells us, "it is one of the prettiest books of the 'sixties," with sharp, deep impressions of the type on the rich, creamy vellum, jewel-like colored initials, and elegant wood-engraved illustrations. These illustrations are the work of John Franklin (ca.1800-68), a painter and draftsman who was highly respected in his own time. The precisely realized borders feature idealized human forms posed within a robust botanical (largely acanthus) context, the figures posing with balletic grace, their expressive faces often turned gently away from the reader. The size of the leaf here is significant: the untrimmed edges retain their tiny printing pinholes which would normally have been trimmed away, with regrettable loss. And, not surprisingly, our vellum printing is almost never seen: we could trace just two copies at auction since 1924. Former owner Marion Hope Rattey (1922-97) was likely the daughter of bibliographer Clifford C. Rattey (1886-1970), whose impressive library featured incunabula and block prints. ONE OF PERHAPS 10 COPIES PRINTED ON VELLUM.
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