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Human Life by Samuel Rogers in a stunning "à la cathedrale" binding

About the Item

London: John Murray, 1819. First Edition. 4to, 8 3/4 x 7 inches (220 x 180 mm); 100 pp with "1819" watermark clearly visible on many pages. Contemporary straight-grained crimson morocco binding, gilt-tooled "à la Cathedrale", the covers gilt with central 'rose window' and gothic architectural designs, repeated at the corners as quarter circles, borders of gothic ornamental motif; spine with raised bands, gilt ornamentation and titles; all edges gilt. The central "rose-window" and the corner groupings are made up of a repetition of dagger-shaped segments. Extremities lightly rubbed, unobtrusive small marks on spines and on back board; Internally the book is bright but has some faint foxing principally to the first and last few pages as is usual for this work. W.A. Foyle library bookplate in red morocco pasted inside front cover, below armorial bookplate of Charles Smith. A lovely large-paper edition of this work by Samuel Rogers (1763 – 1855), a reflective poem, on which the poet was engaged for twelve years. It was printed in both quarto and octavo formats in 1819, the year of its first publication. This edition contains the poem Human Life, a set of notes analyzing the poem, and two further poems: Lines Written at Pæstum and The Boy of Egremond. Eclipsed by some of his great contemporaries, Rogers was praised for the musicality of his verse, and his literary breakfasts were a feature of the social scene. Simon Nowell-Smith's article in 'The Book Collector' (1965, XIV, pp. 362-365) explains that Rogers added on lines and verses wherever he could and that the three octavo issues are similar to each other but that along with quarto issues they exhibit a steady expansion. He also gives details of the various editions and issues. ... HUMAN LIFE was the work of which Rogers was the most proud." - POETRY The Simon Nowell-Smith Collection, entry 611. The "aà la cathedrale" style of binding was invented and developed in the early 19th century by the French bookbinder, Joseph Thouvenin. Condition: Near Fine.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 8.67 in (22 cm)Width: 7.09 in (18 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1819
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Middletown, NY
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: BH13181stDibs: LU8340243541792

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