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185 x 106 mm. (7 1/4 x 4 1/2"). 3 p.l., 42 pp. Original ribbed-grain scarlet cloth blocked in blind and gilt, upper cover with title inside an elaborate framed cartouche, flat spine divided into panels by blind-stamped chain roll, pale yellow endpapers. In a modern glassine dust jacket. With printed Erratum slip tipped onto p. 25. Front pastedown with book label of John Porter, a red-printed "Reserve Collection" slip tipped onto front free endpaper; rear pastedown with label reading "This volume forms part of a collection of books published 1820-1853/4 by William Pickering / John Porter." Not in Keynes. Spine just slightly faded, but an extremely fine copy--clean and fresh internally, with spacious margins, in a remarkably well-preserved binding. This very rare Pickering imprint, offered here in especially fine condition, represents the primary literary output of a little-known Victorian female artist and writer. Frances (Fanny) Steers (1797-1861) was a painter, poet, and composer best known for her watercolor landscapes; she was one of the few female members of the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, part of the British Federation of Artists. Among purchasers of her works were William Makepeace Thackeray, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and the British Museum. Presented as a mock-serious drama, "The Ant Prince" reveals a lively imagination and bubbling wit: the unrequited love of the formic Prince for the apian Queen makes for a tragic entomological romance that ends, Romeo and Juliet-style, with the death of both protagonists. Our publisher, William Pickering, is known for his poetic editions and innovations in the English publishing industry, being among the first to adopt cloth bindings of the type seen here. In 1828 Pickering began to use the familiar anchor and dolphin device employed by the Aldus family of Venetian printers in the 16th century, and he had the same purpose behind his work as did his Aldine predecessors--to provide the public with well-printed texts that were nevertheless obtainable even by a person of modest means. The present copy is from the collection of John Porter (b. 1929), who built an impressive library of Pickering imprints, with a particular focus on acquiring the finest copy available of each edition. This volume is no exception, being extremely clean with almost no signs of use. "The Ant Prince" is a rare work in any condition: we have been unable to trace any copies at auction, we find no current dealer listings, and OCLC records only seven copies in US institutions.
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