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HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW — POETICAL WORKS1869 T. Nelson & Sons Illustrated EditionElaborate Victorian Full Leather Gilt BindingRaised Bands • All Edges Gilt • Illustrated Throughout
LONGFELLOW, Henry Wadsworth. The Poetical Works of H. W. Longfellow. London, Edinburgh, and New York: T. Nelson and Sons, 1869.
A particularly handsome Victorian edition of Longfellow's poetry, preserved in an elaborate full brown leather binding richly decorated in gilt and blind.
The binding is the outstanding feature of this copy. Both covers are framed by multiple gilt rules surrounding an elaborate architectural and foliate design, with scrolling ornaments, stylized floral devices, and a large central gilt motif set against blind-tooled decoration. The spine is divided by five raised bands, with gilt ornamental compartments and gilt titles reading LONGFELLOW'S / POETICAL / WORKS and ILLUSTRATED.
The volume is finished with all edges gilt, making this an especially attractive example of the elaborate presentation and gift bindings produced during the height of Victorian decorative bookbinding.
The book opens with an engraved pictorial title followed by the printed title dated 1869 and contains 688 pages, with numerous engraved illustrations and decorative devices accompanying the poetry. Another copy of this same T. Nelson 1869 edition is likewise recorded as 688 pages.
Among the contents are many of Longfellow's best-known works, including:
Evangeline
The Song of Hiawatha
The Courtship of Miles Standish
The Golden Legend
and numerous shorter poems and ballads.
A highly displayable nineteenth-century Longfellow: substantially more attractive than the ordinary publisher's-cloth editions and particularly well suited to a collection of Victorian fine bindings, decorative leather books, illustrated poetry, or American literature.
Bibliographic Details
Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Title: The Poetical Works of H. W. Longfellow
Publisher: T. Nelson and Sons
Place: London, Edinburgh, and New York
Date: 1869
Pagination: 688 pages
Binding: Full brown leather, extensively gilt and blind tooled
Spine: Five raised bands with gilt lettering and ornament
Edges: All edges gilt
Illustrations: Engraved illustrated title and numerous illustrations in the text
Language: English
Condition
Very good antique condition overall.
The full leather binding remains exceptionally attractive and presents very well, with the extensive gilt decoration still bright and striking. Expected rubbing and surface wear to the leather, principally at the extremities, corners, joints, and spine ends, with minor marks consistent with age and use.
The all-gilt edges remain attractive, with some normal dulling and handling wear.
Internally, the binding remains sound. There is scattered foxing primarily to the opening leaves and front matter, as visible in the photographs; beyond this, the great majority of the text is remarkably clean, bright, and clear for a book of this age.
Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.
