Catalogue 83: Rare Books and Manuscripts

Book Description

London: 1953 Bound by Garth While in full vellum. Front cover lettered in gilt and spine in black. Elaborate illuminated illustration painted on front cover, incorporating leaves in various colors, acorns, dots of gold, and a mammalian creature with horns and wings, probably based on a design in an illuminated manuscript. Gilt vignettes on turn-ins. All edges gilt. . Folio. Colored frontispiece, with gold. Sepia-toned illustrations in text. The fourth in a series of special illustrated catalogues describing manuscripts and books chiefly from the renowned collection of Sir Thomas Phillipps, Bt. (1792-1872). A fine copy in quarter morocco binding. Laid in is a flyer about the exhibition of craft bookbinding's that were entries in the Thomas Harrison Memorial Competition in 1972. This book was one of those on exhibit. This is a landmark catalogue, featuring twenty-four illuminated manuscripts, the Jenson Pliny, Pigafetta's account of Magellan's voyage, two books from Locke's library, a series of 165 unpublished Locke letters, an incunable Polycronicon, a book purchased by Alexander Pope when he was twelve, the first Latin edition of Marco Polo's travels (the edition read by Columbus), a Fourth Folio, some wonderful early Milton and Pope, and many other exciting items

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