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JOHN MILTON — THE POETICAL WORKS
Gall & Inglis · Landscape Series of Poets · Circa 1880
Ornate Victorian Publisher’s Binding with Recessed Floral Inset
Steel Engravings · Colored Decorative Borders · All Edges Gilt
MILTON, John. The Poetical Works of John Milton. With Life. Edinburgh: Gall & Inglis, Bernard Terrace; London: 25 Paternoster Square, n.d. [circa 1880]. xx, 491 pp.
A richly decorated Victorian edition of Milton’s poetry, including Paradise Lost, in the original publisher’s cloth binding with a colorful recessed floral centerpiece, elaborate gilt ornament and pictorial medallions.
Issued in Gall & Inglis’s Landscape Series of Poets, the volume combines steel-engraved illustrations with decorative landscape borders printed in varying colors throughout the text. An especially appealing example of the Victorian illustrated gift book.
Decorative Publisher’s Binding
Original brown cloth over beveled boards, elaborately decorated in gilt, black and blue. The upper cover features gilt scroll banners bearing the title in blue, surrounding a recessed, shaped pictorial inset of roses and other flowers arranged in a vase.
A turquoise-blue and gilt frame encloses the floral image, with further leafy ornament and densely patterned decoration extending across the cover. Four circular medallions contain architectural views and portraits of Shakespeare and Burns.
The spine is similarly decorated with gilt lettering, landscape imagery and ornamental devices. The rear cover is decorated in blind.
All edges gilt.
Illustrations and Contents
The title page announces “Engravings on Steel.” Steel-engraved illustrations accompany the poetry, while pictorial landscape borders frame the text pages. These borders appear in different printed colors across the volume, adding considerably to its decorative character.
Contents include a Life of John Milton, followed by Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes, shorter poems, sonnets, psalms, translations, Latin poems and Italian sonnets.
Early Ownership
Early inscriptions identify Jane Orange of Clayport, Alnwick, Northumberland, with another inscription reading “Miss J. Orange.”
A small John Davison, bookseller, Alnwick ticket survives on the front pastedown, providing a further connection to the town.
Condition
An attractive copy with wear and faults as described.
The upper cover retains strong gilt and colored decoration, and the floral inset remains present with vivid color. Its glossy surface shows crazing and cracking, with wear around the recessed surround.
Rubbing and wear affect the corners, edges and spine ends, with small areas of cloth loss and fraying.
The rear inner hinge is cracked, exposing the underlying binding material; the rear board remains attached. The text block is otherwise sound.
Scattered foxing is present, heavier on some preliminary leaves. Early ownership inscriptions and evidence of a removed label or bookplate appear on a preliminary leaf. The steel engravings remain well defined, the colored borders attractive, and the gilt page edges bright.
Please examine the photographs for details of decoration and condition.
A distinctive Victorian Milton, particularly appealing for its combination of a floral pictorial binding, steel engravings and colored landscape borders.
