ONE OF ONLY 25 LARGE-PAPER GOLD-ILLUMINATED COPIES OF STRUTT’S ENGLISH COSTUMES, WITH 153 SPLENDID HAND-COLORED AND GOLD-HIGHLIGHTED PLATES

STRUTT, Joseph. A Complete View of the Dress and Habits of the People of England. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1842. Two volumes. Large quarto, contemporary three-quarter brown morocco gilt, marbled boards and endpapers, top edges gilt. $8800.

Splendid limited large-paper edition of this treasury of English costume beginning with the Saxons, illustrated with 153 hand-colored copper-engraved plates of costumes, armor, seals, and everyday objects— one of only 25 copies additionally highlighted in gold and silver, handsomely bound in three-quarter morocco-gilt.

Strutt's superb plates reproduce portraits of English personages from illuminated manuscripts in the British Museum and the Bodleian Library, along with richly hand-colored reproductions of the costumes, arms, seals, and other interesting objects particular to various English peoples from the time of the Saxons to the close of the 17th century. First published in 1796-99, this "new and improved edition" was issued with 153 plates, in both uncolored and hand-colored versions; of the hand-colored version, only 25 were produced with additional highlighting in gold— as in this copy. A few plates bound out of sequence, as issued. Lowndes, 2538. Brunet V, 566. Colas 2825. Hiler, 820. Lipperheide 1001. Early dealer description tipped to front free endpaper.

Only mild foxing to first few and last few (blank) leaves of each volume; text and plates generally quite clean and fine, hand-coloring vivid, gilt bright. Contemporary binding handsome. An excellent copy of this superb production.