Fine Books & Manuscripts

[CHARLES LEWIS BINDING]. THOMAS, Percy (1729–1811). Reliques of Ancient English Poetry… London: for J. Dodsley, 1767. 3 volumes, 8vo. Dedication to the Countess of Northumberland by Samuel Johnson. Half–titles, engraved frontispiece and errata leaf in vol. I, engraved leaf of music in vol. II, engraved title vignettes and tailpieces (a bit of offsetting to text). Late 18th–century green straight–grained morocco gilt line borders, sprays at each corner, central gilt monogram to covers, raised bands, richly gilt compartments with titles, top edge gilt, others uncut, gilt line turn–ins, green coated endpapers by Charles Lewis in the style of Roger Payne (occasional pale spotting to text). Provenance: bookplate of Edward Huth (1847–1935), son of the prominent bibliophile Henry Huth (1815–1878); Birne Terry West (bookplate). Second edition (revised) of the landmark work in European literature that has long been recognized as a “seminal work in English Romanticism”. (Groom, introduction to the Dover facsimile of Wheatley’s edition, 1966, p.1). Fleeman, p. 1074. From the private library of a prominent Chicago collector, part II.