Description
Romola by George Eliot. In Two Volumes. Illustrations by Frederick Leighton. London: Smith, Elder, and Company.,15, Waterloo Place. 1880. Only One Thousand Copies of this Edition have been printed for Sale. This Copy is Number 306 . Vol. I: 396 p., Vol. II: 403 p. Complete with all 22 full-page plates (not including frontispieces), Finely bound in half-leather & marbled paper covered binding measuring 10.75 x 7.75", royal 8vos. In fair condition. Half-leather boards are normally scuffed at edges and worn/bumped at leather corners. Head and tail of leather spine rubbed; hinges rubbed. Top edges of text-block gilt. Some tanning found on edges of Vol. II's front board from sun-exposure. Rubbing to marbled paper covered boards. Gift inscriptions, in ink, found on front fly-leaves: "C. A. D. from J. C. D. Xmas 1881." Another ownership signature, in colored pencil, found only on Vol. II's front fly-leaf: "R. R. James 1921." Rear gutter of Vol. II cracked with some exposed cording. Normal toning throughout text-blocks; foxing around plates. Some instances of finger-soiling on fore-edges of leaves. Bindings remain intact. Please see photos. Romola is a novel set in fifteenth century Florence, taking place during historical events during the Italian Renaissance. The novel centers around Romola de' Bardi, the daughter of the blind classical scholar bardo de' Bardi. She herself is immersed in classical studies, and eventually falls in love with Tito Melema. Tito is a handsome young scholar, arriving in Florence after being shipwrecked. He eventually succumbs to ambitions and self-preservation, earning Romola's disdain. This novel was a far cry from George Eliot's other novels, all of which were set in nineteenth century England. Though it is considered to be one of the author's greatest works, it never was her most popular novel. Eliot supposedly spent eighteen months researching and contemplating the novel, including taking several trips to Florence. Eliot's best known works are Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss , and she was known for her realism and psychological insight in her writings. Illustrated by Frederick Leighton (1830 - 1896), a painter and sculptor known for his work depicting historical, biblical, and classical scenes. The novel first appeared in fourteen parts published in Cornhill Magazine from July 1862 (vol. 6, no. 31) to August 1863 (vol. 8, no. 44), and was first published as a book, in three volumes, by Smith, Elder & Co. in 1863. RAREB1880DLMA - 02/18 COLL1880DMLQ - 10/24 - HKREV247
lumbfulconfmehn1979
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