1759 · Birmingham
by (BASKERVILLE IMPRINT). MILTON, JOHN
Birmingham: Printed by John Baskerville for J. and R. Tonson in London, 1759. Second Baskerville Quarto Edition. 250 x 180 mm. (10 x 7 1/2"). Two volumes. From the Text of Thomas Newton, D.D., with his Life of Milton.
Recent retrospective calf, covers panelled in blind, raised bands, spine panels with elaborate blind-stamped ornament, black morocco label in the second panel of each volume. Frontispiece portrait engraved by J. Miller. Verso of title pages with early ink signature of "Le[onard](?) Kennedy." Gaskell 6, 7; Coleridge 122, 202; Straus & Dent, p. 69; Wickenheiser 697, 698; Howe's, Cat. 240, #188, 189 (1989); ESTC T133905, T134634. â—†Occasional minor browning and foxing (a small handful of leaves more noticeably affected), but a clean and pleasant copy in an attractive new sympathetic binding.
According to Howes, this is the "largest paper edition of Baskerville's Milton," and the best obtainable Baskerville edition. The text used here is that edited by English cleric Thomas Newton and first published in 1749 ("Paradise Lost") and 1752 ("Paradise Regained"). According to DNB, "The edition, with its rigorous use of original documents and collation of all previous editions, is highly rated by literary scholars and has been described as 'scrupulously definitive' (Moyles, 73)." After the success of his beautifully printed "Virgil," Baskerville wanted to print editions of some English classics. But his Milton ran into opposition from the Tonson firm, which claimed its copyright. As Straus & Dent observe, the Tonsons "could hardly fail to understand the advantage of offering the public another edition of Milton . . . printed in some fashion similar to that of the Virgil," and they agreed to act as London publisher for Baskerville's imprint. The venture was a financial success, and as Straus & Dent point out, the appearance of the Milton "increased his reputation, and prepared the way for other works of no less brilliant a kind." John Baskerville (1707-75) started his career as a writing master, then began cutting letters for gravestones. He patented a process for "japanning," a type of veneer that replicated the popular Japanese lacquer work, and ran a successful business in this manufacture for 10 years before following his desire to cut type and print books. His typeface is his most enduring legacy to the art of the book, though not his only innovation in the field. In his preface to the 1758 octavo first edition of his Milton, he wrote, "Amongst the several mechanic Arts that have engaged my attention, there is no one which I have pursued with so much steadiness and pleasure, as that of Letter-Founding. Having been an early admirer of the beauty of Letters, I became insensibly desirous of contributing to the perfection of them. I formed to my self Ideas of greater accuracy than had yet appeared, and have endeavoured to produce a Sett of Types according to what I conceived to be their true proportion." Their beauty is attested to by their longevity, with Baskerville typefaces being among the most popular serif fonts ever since their creator's time.. (Inventory #: ST19567-038)
Recent retrospective calf, covers panelled in blind, raised bands, spine panels with elaborate blind-stamped ornament, black morocco label in the second panel of each volume. Frontispiece portrait engraved by J. Miller. Verso of title pages with early ink signature of "Le[onard](?) Kennedy." Gaskell 6, 7; Coleridge 122, 202; Straus & Dent, p. 69; Wickenheiser 697, 698; Howe's, Cat. 240, #188, 189 (1989); ESTC T133905, T134634. â—†Occasional minor browning and foxing (a small handful of leaves more noticeably affected), but a clean and pleasant copy in an attractive new sympathetic binding.
According to Howes, this is the "largest paper edition of Baskerville's Milton," and the best obtainable Baskerville edition. The text used here is that edited by English cleric Thomas Newton and first published in 1749 ("Paradise Lost") and 1752 ("Paradise Regained"). According to DNB, "The edition, with its rigorous use of original documents and collation of all previous editions, is highly rated by literary scholars and has been described as 'scrupulously definitive' (Moyles, 73)." After the success of his beautifully printed "Virgil," Baskerville wanted to print editions of some English classics. But his Milton ran into opposition from the Tonson firm, which claimed its copyright. As Straus & Dent observe, the Tonsons "could hardly fail to understand the advantage of offering the public another edition of Milton . . . printed in some fashion similar to that of the Virgil," and they agreed to act as London publisher for Baskerville's imprint. The venture was a financial success, and as Straus & Dent point out, the appearance of the Milton "increased his reputation, and prepared the way for other works of no less brilliant a kind." John Baskerville (1707-75) started his career as a writing master, then began cutting letters for gravestones. He patented a process for "japanning," a type of veneer that replicated the popular Japanese lacquer work, and ran a successful business in this manufacture for 10 years before following his desire to cut type and print books. His typeface is his most enduring legacy to the art of the book, though not his only innovation in the field. In his preface to the 1758 octavo first edition of his Milton, he wrote, "Amongst the several mechanic Arts that have engaged my attention, there is no one which I have pursued with so much steadiness and pleasure, as that of Letter-Founding. Having been an early admirer of the beauty of Letters, I became insensibly desirous of contributing to the perfection of them. I formed to my self Ideas of greater accuracy than had yet appeared, and have endeavoured to produce a Sett of Types according to what I conceived to be their true proportion." Their beauty is attested to by their longevity, with Baskerville typefaces being among the most popular serif fonts ever since their creator's time.. (Inventory #: ST19567-038)