c1867 A Thousand & One Gems Of English Poetry Antique Leather & Gilt Poetry Book

c1867 A Thousand & One Gems Of English Poetry Antique Leather & Gilt Poetry Book A Thousand And One Gems Of English Poetry By Charles Mackay Published by George Routledge & Sons: London c1867 (Introduction Date) In Presentation Leather & Gilt Bindings With Marbled Endpapers " A Thousand and One Gems of English Poetry, selected and arranged by Charles Mackay, LL.D., is a substantial anthology bringing together poems and passages from across the English-language literary tradition. Published by George Routledge and Sons of London, with a New York imprint also appearing on the title page, this undated volume contains an introduction dated January 1867 and is offered with an approximate date of circa 1867. Mackay explains his intention to provide a broad view of the rise, progress and contemporary state of English poetry, presenting a collection that combines celebrated literary favourites with less familiar selections worthy of preservation and renewed attention. Beginning with Geoffrey Chaucer, the anthology offers a varied reading experience encompassing narrative verse, songs, ballads, devotional poetry, reflections on nature and meditations on love, grief and human experience. The photographed index includes Joseph Addison, Robert Burns, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Joanna Baillie and William Lisle Bowles, illustrating the breadth of the selection. American poetry also has a place in the collection: Mackay's introduction acknowledges permission to reproduce works by Longfellow, Emerson, Holmes, Lowell, Whittier and Bryant. The result is an extensive gathering of English-language verse that reflects the literary tastes and interests of its Victorian readership. The title page credits illustrations by J. E. Millais, Sir John Gilbert and Birket Foster, adding a further dimension of interest for collectors of nineteenth-century illustrated books. The pictured frontispiece depicts a scene from Longfellow's The Wreck of the Hesperus, showing the skipper and his daughter aboard ship, with a protective tissue guard retained opposite. The poetry is printed in a compact double-column arrangement within ruled page borders, allowing a considerable range of material to be gathered into a single volume. An index provides a useful means of locating individual poets and selections, making the book suitable for browsing as well as more directed reading. This copy is bound in full reddish-brown leather in an attractive presentation style, with gilt panelled borders and floral ornaments to the boards, raised spine bands, elaborately gilt-decorated spine compartments and a contrasting dark gilt-lettered title label. Gilt page edges, decorative gilt tooling along the board edges and inner borders, and richly patterned marbled endpapers complete its traditional appearance. The binding shows surface scuffing and rubbing, particularly along the joints, raised bands, edges and corners, while the photographed leaves show age toning and scattered foxing, more pronounced around the preliminary pages and frontispiece tissue. Combining a wide-ranging poetry anthology with illustrations by notable Victorian artists and a decorative leather binding, this is an appealing volume for collectors of English literature and antiquarian gift books." Light wear to covers and spine as shown. Minor split to outer rear cover hinge. No inscriptions. Some foxing to prelims with the vast majority of the book clean and well presented. Binding in excellent condition with no loose pages. A stunning, presentation copy in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.d condition. Size 18cm x 13cm x 3.5cm - 602 Pages