Faerie Queene
Faerie Queene
J.M. Dent and Co.
Spenser, Edmund; Hales, John W. (Introduction)
Fairfax-Muckley, Louis
1132
Three volumes complete - Volume One - li, [1], 380pp, [4]; Volume Two - [11], 386-751pp, [3] and Volume Three - [11], 756-1155pp, [5]. Full vellucent painted vellum binding by Chivers of Bath, smooth back, with art nouveau style decoration by Louis Fairfax-Muckley to spine and covers. Spine with title, volume, place and date in gilt, with a figurine of a lady holding a smoking plinth, upper cover with oscillating line to head and tail, art nouveau frame with shields to centre points, inner frame with author and title and a vignette of a knight and a lady on horseback galloping across a field, lower cover with a dragon inside a roundel, hand printed endpapers, top edge gilt, remainder untrimmed, each volume with a slightly different colour scheme. Externally very good, small abrasions to upper cover of volumes one and two, with some minor scratching to upper cover of volume three, some spotting to top edge, spines slightly faded. Some light browning and some spotting internally, especially to tissue-guards and plates, some off-setting, one or two small nicks and tears to page edges, but generally fairly clean. Illustrated title, portrait frontispiece and twenty-five plates (as called for), with all the plates in two states (printed in crimson and in black). Each volume with final Chivers limitation leaf but without limitation, and signed by Fairfax-Muckley. Lacking the limitation card and publishers slipcase, this is one of thirty de-luxe copies with the extra set of plates in crimson and bound thus by Chivers, originally priced at 12 guineas. "An art edition of Spenser, The Faerie Queene, modelled upon and intended as a companion to Dent's edition of Malory illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley, and as a competitor to the George Allen edition of Spenser illustrated by Walter Crane ... It was issued in parts between 5 May 1896 and 13 August 1897. Fairfax-Muckley, who had worked with William Morris when he first began printing at the Kelmscott Press (and was involved in printing the Kelsmcott edition of Chaucer), provided for this edition wood engraved illustrations, borders and decorated initials" (Howey and Reimer, 'A Bibliography of Modern Arthuriana', page 638). Howey and Reimer F-194. An attractive set in a fine example of a Chivers vellucent binding
4to
Very Good
No Jacket (as Issued)
Full Vellum
Limited Edition
London
1897
First Thus
Signed Binding and Signed By Illustrator
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, with all the plates in two states (printed in crimson and in black). Each volume with final Chivers limitation leaf but without limitation, and signed by Fairfax-Muckley. Lacking the limitation card and publishers slipcase, this is one of thirty de-luxe copies with the extra set of plates in crimson and bound thus by Chivers, originally priced at 12 guineas. "An art edition of Spenser, The Faerie Queene, modelled upon and intended as a companion to Dent's edition of Malory illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley, and as a competitor to the George Allen edition of Spenser illustrated by Walter Crane ... It was issued in parts between 5 May 1896 and 13 August 1897. Fairfax-Muckley, who had worked with William Morris when he first began printing at the Kelmscott Press (and was involved in printing the Kelsmcott edition of Chaucer), provided for this edition wood engraved illustrations, borders and decorated initials" (Howey and Reimer, 'A Bibliography of Modern Arthuriana', page 638). Howey and Reimer F-194. An attractive set in a fine example of a Chivers vellucent binding){kind=link}