Sarchedon: A Legend of the Great Queen

London: W. Thacker & Co., 1900. Cloth. Very Good. 9" by 6". Harrington Bird. A smart limited edition copy of this historical novel by the popular Scottish author George Whyte-Melville, illustrated throughout by Harrington Bird. One of one thousand and fifty limited edition copies of this work, in the publisher's original cloth binding with pictorial gilt to the front board. Top edge gilt.Illustrated with a colour frontispiece and nine black-and-white plates by Harrington Bird, who was best known for his skillful depictions of horses. Collated, complete.George John Whyte-Melville (1821-1878) was a Scottish poet and novelist whose work mainly concerned field sports. His first novel "Digby Grand" was an instant success when it was published in 1852. Whyte-Melville went on to publish another twenty-one novels before his death after a hunting accident in 1878. This sweeping historical novel tells the story of Semiramis, Queen of Assyria in the 9th century B.C., as well as that of the love story of Sarchedon, the hero of the book. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Externally smart, except for fading to the spine. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright with the odd spot and offsetting to the first and last couple of pages. Very Good