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THE PRINCESS by TENNYSON, ALFRED, LORD - 1880

by TENNYSON, ALFRED, LORD

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THE PRINCESS by TENNYSON, ALFRED, LORD - 1880

THE PRINCESS

by TENNYSON, ALFRED, LORD

  • Used
  • Hardcover
  • Signed
London: C. Kegan Paul & Co, 1880. No. 41 of 50 Large Paper Copies signed by the printer and dated October 23, 1880 n. Hardcover. One of the Most Important Bindings We've Ever Had, with aStory of Romance and a Startling Blunder To Go along with it. 194 x 127 mm (7 5/8 x 5"). 4 p.l., 199 pp. No. 41 of 50 Large Paper Copies signed by the printer and dated October 23, 1880. CHOICE APPLE GREEN MOROCCO, LAVISHLY GILT, BY THOMAS J. COBDEN-SANDERSON (stamp-signed and dated on rear turn-in), covers diapered in gilt with Tudor roses on leafy vines (C-S Design #20), each compartment formed by the roses containing an "M," the center cruciform panel on the upper cover with the name "MITFORD" tooled in gilt, a "B" above it and a "C" below it, rear cover with the date "24 FEBRUARY 1886" in the center compartment; raised bands, guttered (i.e., concave) spine (as intended), spine panels with central Tudor rose surrounded by leafy vines and much stippling, gilt turn-ins, all edges gilt and gauffered. In a sturdy and handsome modern green morocco clamshell box. With engraved frontispiece. Front pastedown with engraved bookplate of Bertram Freeman-Mitford (see below). Rear pastedown with Cobden-Sanderson's handwritten receipt for £6.6.0 affixed, rear free endpaper with manuscript letter from Cobden-Sanderson to Lady Clementine Mitford tipped on. For the binding: Tidcombe 33. Spine with just a hint of sunning (toward caramel, as almost inevitable with green morocco), a pinprick hole just below the rose in the tail edge panel, light foxing to frontispiece, otherwise AN EXTREMELY FINE COPY INSIDE AND OUT AND A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THE TASTE AND SKILL OF A BINDING DONE WITH COBDEN-SANDERSON'S OWN HANDS. This is one of the most attractive volumes--and almost certainly the most important binding--we have ever offered for sale: an early specimen of the work of the central figure in the history of English bookbinding, and a volume with a charming, romantic story as well as technical issues of considerable interest attached to it. Cobden-Sanderson (1840-1922) did not produce many bindings with his own hands, but he did nothing short of change the entire course of bookbinding in England. Tidcombe's detailed and exhaustive catalogue lists just 167 examples of bindings produced by him, all of them executed between July of 1884 and March of 1893. Through this small corpus of work, Cobden-Sanderson "rejuvenated English binding" with his theories of design "and set it on a new course of development." (Morgan Library Exhibition catalogue) Nixon calls our binder a "pre-eminent figure . . . both as a designer of great originality, who rescued the craft from half a century of purely imitative work, and as a craftsman of outstanding ability." Produced during the first 20 months of his career (the 33rd item in Tidcombe's census), the present binding marks two firsts: the first use of the new Tudor rose and rose leaves (tools 2a, 6a, 6n), and the first employment of an important improved method of preparing the leather (specifically, the manner in which our binder crushed, or pressed, the morocco in preparation for its gilt decoration). Access to the personal side of this volume can be found in Cobden-Sanderson's journal entry for 22 December 1885, which records that "on Saturday [19 December] Mitford and Lady Clementine came and were exceedingly polite. Mitford brought me a large paper (Kegan Paul) 'Princess' to bind by the 24th February, mode and finish to be left entirely to myself." The binder's notes observe that "the design of back-side varies from front. The 'M' is inverted in the lower half [of the back]. This, an accident, [is] a great improvement. Time 54 3/4 hours. Undercharged." We know from the letter tipped into the volume that the book was delivered on 23rd February 1886 "by a sure hand," arriving just in time, as it was to be Lady Clementine's gift to her husband on his 49th birthday, the next day. Cobden-Sanderson visited the Mitfords in April and was pleased to find Bertram Mitford thrilled with the binding, even though his "Philistine friends" had thought the (intentionally) concave spine a flaw. Cobden-Sanderson records in his journal on 2 April 1886: "I advised him to stand by the gutter [i.e., defend the spine design], for it was most beautiful." Mitford (1837-1916), the diplomat and author, was created first Baron Redesdale in 1902; he is best known for being the grandfather of the brilliant and scandalous Mitford sisters, including noted writers Nancy and Jessica, Nazi sympathizers Diana and Unity, and the current dowager duchess of Devonshire. Not to be overlooked is the fact that the present volume comprises a beautifully printed strictly limited luxury edition of "The Princess" (about which, see item #144, below).
  • Bookseller Phillip J. Pirages Fine Books and Medieval Manuscripts US (US)
  • Format/Binding Hardcover
  • Book Condition Used
  • Quantity Available 1
  • Edition No. 41 of 50 Large Paper Copies signed by the printer and dated
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Publisher C. Kegan Paul & Co
  • Place of Publication London
  • Date Published 1880
  • Keywords English Literature, Poetry, Bindings - English, Bindings - 19th c., BINDINGS, LITERATURE

We have 3 copies available starting at £11.67.

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Princess (Disney Sticker Activity) (Spanish Edition)

  • Used
  • good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 13
9781405476799
ISBN 10
1405476796
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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£11.67

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2006-12. Paperback. Good.
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£11.67
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Five-minute Princess Tales

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780752585932
ISBN 10
0752585932
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1
Seller
Dunfermline, Fife, United Kingdom
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This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£6.98

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Description:
Used - Good. Ships from the UK. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
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£6.98
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Princess: A Modern Fairytale

  • Used
  • very good
Condition
Used - Very Good
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Stone Mountain, Georgia, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£19.55

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Description:
ABC Family - Gaiam, 2009-02-03. DVD. Very Good. DVD plays perfectly & the case looks good.
Item Price
£19.55