A Gallery of Illustrious Literary Characters (1830-1838) Drawn by the Late Daniel Maclise, R.A. and Accompanied by Notices Chiefly by the Late William Maginn, L.l.D.
London: Chatto and Windus, Publishers, [1874]. Hardcover. 4to. Half dark green calf with gilt spine lettering, compartment and raised bands and marbled paper over boards. x, 239pp. Top edge gilt. Frontispiece, numerous full-page plates, marbled endpapers. Very good. Faintest bit of edgewear; front board marbled paper a bit scuffed -- else internally near fine. Item #36598
A tight, handsome first edition in a lovely custom binding with intricate spine giltstamping. The 83 buff-and-black plates and frontispiece are all present and perfectly pristine. Scarcer than the 1883 edition, which omits most of Maginn's accompanying text. Some date this first edition 1873, which is the date at the close of editor Bates's preface, but this binding bears a giltstamped "London 1874" at the bottom, which we believe to be the year the volume was actually published. An altogether lovely copy.
Price: $175.00