“Boydell’s Magnificent Edition”
Poetical Works of John Milton. With a life of the author, by William Hayley.
London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co....for John and Josiah Boydell... 1794.
. The Poetical Works of John Milton. With a life of the author, by William Hayley. London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co....for John and Josiah Boydell..., 1794.
Full Description:
MILTON, John. The Poetical Works of John Milton. With a life of the author, by William Hayley. London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. Shakespeare Printing-Office for John and Josiah Boydell, and George Nicol; From the Types of W. Martin, 1794-1797.
Three large folio volumes (16 1/2 x 12 5/8 inches; 420 x 320 mm.). [8], cxxxiii, [1, blank], [1], [1, blank], 213, [3, blank]; [4], 286, [2, blank]; [4], 300, [2, blank] pp. Bound with the final blank leaves (often missing) at the end of each volume. Contents leaves bound at the front of Volume I. Complete with 36 engraved plates, four of which are portraits and three of which are trial proof etchings. Plates by J.P. Simon, R. Earlom, Thos. Kirk, J. Ogborne, B. Smith, and others, after R. Westall. Portrait of the author by Houbraken.
Beautifully bound in contemporary full red straight-grain morocco, elaborately tooled and stamped in gilt and blind. Spines decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt with twelve raised bands. Gilt dentelles. Green endpapers with blind-stamped borders. All edges gilt. Some minor shelf wear. Spines very lightly sunned. Minimal wear to joints and corners lightly bumped. Some scattered foxing, as usual, affecting some plates (heavier to plates in Volumes II and III). Some offsetting to pages facing plates and endpapers. Paper crease to pages 3/4 of Volume III. Previous owner's bookplates on front pastedown of each volume. One bookplate is for Mrs. Mary Nicol, wife of the publisher George Nicol. A near fine copy.
“The edition is one of the major achievements of English typography. William Martin was the brother of Baskerville’s typecutter, and Bulmer seems to have made use of many of the technical advances, and much of the expertise, of Baskerville. The edition is regarded as subordinate only to the Boydell Shakespeare, which was being published at the same time” (Coleridge).
“Boydell’s magnificent edition with plates after Westall, published 15l. 15s. By many thought to be the finest production of Mr. Bulmer’s press.” (Lowndes)
Coleridge 223. Lowndes, p. 1556.
HBS 69679.
$25,000.
Price: $25,000.00
Item #69679