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Hard cover, 8vo, in midnight blue cloth blocked in gilt with three rectilinear fields of twining foliage and flowers to front boards, the design mirrored on the rear boards, and repeated on the spine in two fields above and below the title. The Rossetti-designed cover was "executed by De Lacy." (See below.) This is the "standard cloth binding" rather than the "deluxe" done in leather. Printer: Hazell, Watson, & Viney, London and Aylesbury. Similarly patterned endpapers are printed in navy upon robins egg blue paper. xlii, 528pp. and vi, 521pp. **CONDITION: Near Fine. Boards are unworn with a few very small, light marks as seen. Two very minor corner bumps and one very small dent to upper edge. Gilt remains bright. One tiny visible wear to front joint Vol. II, Hinges in order. Mild age toning to text. Former bookseller notes in pencil to verso of ffep. Vol. I. **Editor WILLIAM MICHAEL ROSSETTI (1829-1919) was the brother of London author, poet and painter DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI (1828-1882), and while employed as an administrator with the Inland Revenue, also documented the various works of the Pre-Raphaelite artist group to which their sister, the poet CHRISTINA ROSSETTI (1830-1894), was also allied. The child of Italian incomers, Rossetti did a number of translations appearing here including Dante's La Vita Nuova (The New Life). An essay on William Blake outlines the artist's admiration of the latter's work integrating prose and art, and including the bold use of color to evoke atmosphere and mood, qualities to which the artist Rossetti was to adapt to his own work. Much here to enjoy for the student of Pre-Raphaelite art and its influence, and potential links between the poetic images and other writings and DGR's paintings, all bound in an object unifying these arts. REFS: Rossetti's cover design is shown in Morris and Levin's "The Art of Publishers' Bookbindings 1815-1915" (2000) No. 119. Watson, 490. Rossetti cover at J.J. McGann (editor), digital Rossetti Archives, Univ. Virginia. Please see our number 9729 for Christina's "Goblin Market." (AMJ)
Ref: POEMEW 9791
$385.00