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The Letters of Horace Walpole Earl of Orford. Now First Chronologically Arranged. In Nine Volumes
Walpole, Horace, Peter Cunningham, Editor
London: 1880, Bickers & Son.
ca. 550 to 650 pp ea. Leather. 8vo.
Illustrations: Engravings.
[Biography - Autobiography - Letters - History]
[Fine Binding]
Issued as "Bohn's English Gentleman's Library" Ballantyne Press, in a deluxe contemporary full calf binding, by Riviere & Son, with five raised bands, red leather title label, gilt title and elaborate floral gilt tooling on spine. Front and back panel are framed with decorative gilt tooling as, outside as well as on the inside of the cover. End papers and edges are marbleized paper. Each vol. has four to five original portrait engravings, mostly of Walpole, family, and other personalities covered in the books. Vol. I has 155pp of preliminaries, like Mr. Cunninham's Preface to his first edition of 1858, Walpole's "Reminiscences of the Court of George the First and Second", etc. Vol. IX has an Appendix with "Letters to Montagu", Extracts from the Unpublished Correspondence of the Earl and Countess of Hertford with Horace Walpolle, Additions, Corrections, etc.'
The set is generally in superb condition, internally and outside. Few vols. show minimal wear of small areas of the spine tooling, vol. I has an exlibris on the front paste down. Vol. I is also the only vol. which shows a little wear in the leather of the front hinge and a crack in part of the front paste down/end paper. Binding sound and firm. Only three of the engravings have very few very faint, tiny foxing spots in the margin. Some of the vols. have a few small spots on the fore edge, only visible when leafed through backwards, due to marbleizing.
ID: 10436