When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Offered here is an antique hardcover edition of The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Southey, LL.D., the English poet and former Poet Laureate.
The title page identifies this as a new edition published in 1848 by D. Appleton & Company, New York, with George S. Appleton listed in Philadelphia. It includes “Oliver Newman, and Other Poems,” then newly published, and is described as having been collected by Southey himself.
This is a particularly attractive decorative binding, featuring:
* Black leather-covered boards
* Elaborate gilt floral ornamentation to the front and rear covers
* Gilt borders and decorative spine compartments
* Raised spine bands
* Gilt title reading “Southey’s Poetical Works”
* Gilt page edges
* Decorative patterned inner borders
The volume is also illustrated with eight steel engravings after drawings by artists including Kenny Meadows, Corbould, Westall and Middleton. Subjects listed include Joan of Arc, a portrait of Southey, Sappho, Thalaba and Oneiza, Senena, the Well of St. Keyne, and Elëemon and Cyra. Several engraved plates retain their original tissue guards.
The contents include Southey’s longer and shorter poetical works, including material relating to Joan of Arc, Thalaba the Destroyer, Madoc, The Curse of Kehama, lyric poems, monodramas, ballads and other writings.
Condition
The book is in good antique condition overall, especially considering its age.
* Binding remains strong and secure
* Covers and text block hold together well
* No loose or detached pages observed
* Interior pages are generally clean and free of modern writing or underlining
* Noticeable foxing, spotting and age toning throughout, particularly on the preliminary pages, title pages, tissue guards and illustrated plates
* Page edges show expected darkening and wear
* Exterior leather shows rubbing, scuffing and wear at the corners, edges and spine ends
* Gilt decoration remains attractive and clearly visible, with some expected fading and surface wear
* A handwritten presentation inscription appears on the inside front cover and is dated December 25, 1849
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description. The exact book shown is the book the buyer will receive.
A handsome mid-19th-century illustrated poetry volume with an ornate gilt binding, well suited to collectors of antique literature, decorative bindings, Victorian books and English poetry.
