[Kelmscott Press- WILLIAM MORRIS ASSOCATION COPY- Inscribed to W. H. Hooper, Engraver of the Kelmscott Chaucer in Stunning de Sauty Binding] Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair

Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1895. First Edition. First Edition. 2 volumes, 12mo, uncut. Hand-colored borders and initials. Printed in Chaucer type in red and black, title page and facing page with full woodcut page border, 7ñline and small woodcut initial capitals. Contemporary dark green morocco elaborately gilt by ALFRED DE SAUTY designed with a gilt all over pattern accentuated with tiny red morocco inlaid dots, spine in six compartments gilt lettered and numbered, top edges gilt. Provenance: William Morris (presentation inscription "To W. Hooper from William Morris"); William Harcourt Hooper (1834-1912, wood-engraver); Asa Foster Lingard (1899-1957, bookplate).

IMPORTANT ASSOCIATION COPY, LIMITED EDITION, one of 600 copies of a total edition of 612, INSCRIBED TO W.H. HOOPER, ENGRAVER OF THE KELMSCOTT CHAUCER. The beautifully executed binding is by Alfred De Sauty (1870-1949) who was the subject of an essay by Marianne Tidcombe entitled "The Mysterious Mr. De Sauty," published in For the Love of the Binding. Studies in Bookbinding History Presented to Mirjam Foot (2000), pp 329-336. She notes that "the first non-trade bookbinder, T. J. Cobden-Sanderson, emerged in the 1880's ... he was followed by hundreds of women, but only two male binders of any significance: Douglas Cockerell and Alfred De Sauty." Inspired by seeing illustrations of the bindings of Cobden-Sanderson in an issue of The Studio, he soon found work at the Hampstead Bindery and Guild of Women Binders. De Sauty was responsible for some of the best designs of the two binderies and carried out all the stages of the craft himself, from sewing to the designing and exceptionally delicate tooling of the covers. "Mr. de Sauty is another young binder, and his work is of considerable merit. His inlays are distinguished for the taste shown in the association of colors, and his finishing has some of the brilliant qualities of the French school, seen particularly in the finely studded tooling of which he seems particularly fond. He has now the post formerly held by Mr. Cockerell" (see Prideaux, Modern Bookbindings Gutenberg.org). William Harcourt Hooper worked with William Morris from 1891-1896 in particularly on the Kelmscott Chaucer. Afterwards he was at the Ashendene Press and Essex House Press and worked with Edward Burne-Jones, C.M. Gere and others. This copy not recorded by Peterson in his list of presentation Copies. Peterson A35. (Inventory #: 6841)