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CHRYSOMELA: A SELECTION FROM THE LYRICAL POEMS OF ROBERT HERRICK.
(London: Macmillan and Co., 1892). 155 x 100 mm. (6 1/8 x 4"). xxviii, 199 pp.Edited by Francis Turner Palgrave.
VERY PRETTY SIENNA CRUSHED MOROCCO DECORATED IN GILT AND BLIND BY ZAEHNSDORF (stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in, oval blind stamp on rear pastedown), covers with frame of blind and gilt rules containing an undulating gilt vine on a pointillé background, a blind-tooled heart-shaped compartment at the center of each side containing a palmette, raised bands, spine compartments with central blind-stamped palmette enclosed by gilt vines on a pointillé background, turn-ins with three gilt rules with leafy cornerpieces and accents, sienna silk pastedowns and endleaves, all edges gilt. Front flyleaf inscribed in ink: "Emily L. Sanford / from / Philip Leach / Christmas." ◆Spine a little dulled, otherwise a very fine copy, clean and fresh internally, and the especially attractive binding unworn.
In an appealing binding by a prominent English bindery, this is a pleasing copy of a collection of poetry by a major 17th century writer who rhapsodized on the human and divine. A friend and follower of Ben Jonson, Herrick (1591-1674) showed a dazzling display of technical versatility in his poetry, employing almost every stanzaic and verse form in English. The works chosen for this collection are arrange by type: idylls, love poems, epigrams, nature poems, and elegies. Our binding is a fine example of the work of the Zaehnsdorf firm, long a top-ranked English bindery. Born in Pest, Hungary, Joseph Zaehnsdorf (1816-86) served his apprenticeship in Stuttgart, worked at a number of European locations as a journeyman, and then settled in London, where he was hired first by Westley and then by Mackenzie before opening his own workshop in 1842. His son and namesake took over the business at age 33, when the senior Joseph died, and the firm flourished under the son's leadership, becoming a leading West End bindery. Over the years, Zaehnsdorf employed a considerable number of distinguished binders, including the Frenchman Louis Genth (who was chief finisher from 1859-84), and trained a number of others, including Roger de Coverly and Sarah Prideaux. A family-run business until 1947, the Zaehnsdorf bindery continued to produce consistently attractive and innovative designs executed with unfailing skill. (ST18224)
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