The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi by John Addington Symonds - 1890: Volume I & II

This copy is described below but the prize in addition to the 2 volume set is a letter from Addington to Sir Edmund William Gosse dated August 14th, 1888 in the original envelope. This was a thank you letter for the Copy of Gosse's Critical Works on William Congreve and in exchange his offer to Gosse of the Count Carlo Gozzi's Autobiography. These copies also come from the estate of Harrison K. Ford, the Silent Film Star of the 1920's and an avid rare book collector. His nameplate is in the front end papers under the nameplate of John William Roy Crawford.

Sir Edmund William Gosse CB (/ɡɒs/; 21 September 1849 – 16 May 1928) was an English poet, author and critic. He was strictly brought up in a small Protestant sect, the Plymouth Brethren, but broke away sharply from that faith. His account of his childhood in the book Father and Son has been described as the first psychological biography.
His friendship with the sculptor Hamo Thornycroft inspired a successful career as a historian of late-Victorian sculpture. His translations of Henrik Ibsen helped to promote that playwright in England, and he encouraged the careers of W. B. Yeats and James Joyce. He also lectured in English literature at Cambridge.


The limited illustrated edition of John Addington Symonds' translation of the memoirs of the Italian playwright Count Carlo Gozzi #39 of 210 copies with hand coloured plates. Symonds wrote a number of biographies of writers and artists, and these often reflected his interest in the Renaissance, as in this case. He was also an early advocate of homosexuality, and despite being married to a woman, he wrote poetry inspired by his homosexual affairs. Count Gozzi was born in Venice in 1720. He had to support himself due to his father's debts, so he joined the army in Dalmatia at the age of sixteen. On his return to Venice he gained a reputation as the wittiest member of the Granelleschi Society, to which he had gained entry through the publication of a number of satirical pieces. Through the 1750s and 60s he published works in the Traditional Tuscan style, which satirised the French inspired Pietro Chiari and Carlo Goldoni. His work has been much praised by Goethe, among many other critics. In later years he produced tragedies, but did not find the same success as for his early work. This edition was limited to 210 copies: This is number 39. It is illustrated with the subject's portrait and six etchings by Adolphe Lalauze, and eleven illustrations of Italian Comedy by Maurice Sand. Direct from the library of the late Hugh Selbourne MD (1906-1973) a noted book collector and diarist. Collated: completeCondition: In quarter calf with printed cloth boards. The boards show the armorial crest of Count Gozzi. Externally smart, though the spines are somewhat torn and the paper title labels are chipped but readable. The text blocks are untrimmed, though the edges are still reasonably clean if a little spotted. Internally clean and bright, and firmly bound. Overall: VERY GOOD +