Description
Attention Collectors! Super Rare! 1835 Twelve Volume Complete Set Portraits of Illustrious Personages of Great Britain Here is a very rare antiquarian set of hardcover books that would be a fantastic addition to a collection! You are bidding on a rare antique set of hardcover books titled Portraits of Illustrious Personages of Great Britain. Engraved from authentic pictures in the Galleries of the Nobility and the Public Collections of the Country with Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Their Lives and Actions. Printed in London for Harding and Lepard, 1835. The set is complete in twelve volumes and you are bidding on all twelve volumes. The volumes are numbered Vol I through Volume XII, inclusive. It is an all-matching set. It is possible that this could be one of the first sets to be printed, perhaps a set for the author to proof, because on the page after the Appendix, there is a printed page that gives Directions to the bookbinder (refer to picture). You would not expect to see a page like this on volumes that were intended for the general public. The books contain 240 impressive engravings by various hands such as, Hoppner, Van Dyke, Holbein, Kneller, Lawrence, Gainsborough, Copley and others. Each portrait is protected by a tissue guard and each portrait is accompanied by a short history of its subject. The books are fully bound in leather and are beautifully decorated in gilt designs and gilt lettering. The spines have five raised bands, gilt decoration and lettering, all edges gilt, dentelles and inner dentelles, These are good-sized books, measuring approximately 10 3/4" tall and 7 1/2" wide. All covers are firmly attached with no cracking or splitting of hinges. The corners and edges show some expected wear and there is a bit of usual wear to top/bottom of spines. The bindings remain in overall very good condition, especially considering the age of this set. The outside edge of the pages has gilt edge on all three sides. All pages are clean and tightly bound and in very good condition. The only exception is that some of the full page engravings in Volume I show a moisture stain at the top area of the page. It does not go near nor affect the illustrated area of the engravings in any way. The books have attractive endpages with a swirling design. There is a small previous owner bookplate affixed to the inside of the front covers. There is no writing, underlining, or notations in the books (On blank page in Volume I, written in pencil is "Subscriber's Copy"). The books remain in very good condition and would be a fantastic addition to any collection!!! Quite a rare and desirable set! Great gift idea! (Inventory: Box 160) Track Page Views With Auctiva's FREE Counter
robertec57c8
Ron’s Book Nook was a complete privilege to do business with. Item was exactly as described, was packaged with extreme care and thoroughness to maintain the integrity of the antique book, communication excellent, and item arrived only a couple of days after purchase. Very satisfied with this transaction (price was reasonable), and would definitely recommend this seller.
user1657559f
Book is better than described. Excellent eBay Seller, a genuine pleasure to do business with. Fair price on shipping. Recommended go-to Seller for your books, and I am exceptionally choosy!
White Tc022a
Beautiful book! Very co-operative seller. Upgraded shipping at my request to get it through the holiday mails. Excellent wrapping. Saving this dealer so I can buy again. Thank you!