Description: ***SUPERB*** VERY RARE LIMITED EDITION BY MACMILLAN & RIVIÈRE. IN ITS *ORIGINAL* RED FULL MOROCCO RIVIÈRE & SON FINE LEATHER BINDING WITH MASTERFUL 23k GOLD GILT TOOLING & MOROCCO ONLAYS! CONDITION: NEAR FINE ANTIQUARIAN Published in 1899 by Macmillan in London, in partnership with renowned bindery Rivière & Son, this is the exceptionally rare, extra-illustrated, limited edition of The Complete Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate. Complete in one-volume. Illustrated with eight antique photographs. First edition thus. Octavo, 7.5" x 5.5" Inches. (LxB). Pp. viii, [2], 900, [2] pages, complete with engraved frontispiece portrait of Tennyson, and extra-illustrated with eight photographic plates with gold-ruled borders & captioned gold lettering below images. This copy has an additional title-page printed in gold on stiffer paper: "The Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson. Illustrated with Photographs. London: Robert Riviere & Son". Collated and complete. The master level of craftsmanship on display is from the “golden period”of Rivière and represents some of their finest work from the era. The rarity of this limited edition aside (I see no other copy available for sale), it would cost between $1,500 to $2,000 for Bayntun-Rivière just to recreate the binding for the book today: Magnificent—and original—publisher-issued full fine crushed red morocco leather binding crafted by hand by Riviere’s master bookbinders - spine with five raised bands & gilt lettering in the second compartment. Top cover decorated and tooled in gilt roses with a matching rose stem floral design on spine. An intricate cream morocco onlay adorns each rose, adding tremendous depth and 3 dimensionality to the exquisite design. Triple gilt ruled turn-ins with gilt floral corners, the edges of the boards tooled with a gilt fillet. Eight black and white photographs of atmospheric scenes from Tennyson’s legendary works. A work of art. CONDITION: The book is in NEAR FINE ANTIQUARIAN CONDITION. Rich, colorful, supple leather with only a slightly sun-darkened spine. Bright and shiny gilt. Square binding with firm hinges and joints. Light rubbing to joints and edges. Interior is remarkably clean with no writing, stamps, ex libris marks, bookplates or foxing. Pages are bright and white. Very light offsetting from a couple of the plates. Several creases and signs of finger handling, a little loose Rivière-imprint secondary title page and a few small tears to a couple of page margins else FINE. BEAUTIFUL!! A remarkable survivor in extraordinary condition with the highest quality binding by one of the world’s top binderies at the height of its craftsmanship for a rare limited edition illustrated set of one of the world’s greatest poets! The best of the best! Please see pictures as they are an important part of the condition description. More pictures available upon request. The book will ship fully insured with signature required upon receipt for your protection. As a fellow book collector, I know how frustrating it can be when items aren’t accurately described or poorly packaged for shipping. That is why I (1) take a lot of pictures and try to describe condition issues as accurately as possible and (2) pack your book purchases with the utmost care before shipping. I have been selling and buying on eBay for over 10 years and have a 100% satisfaction rating, and offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee 30-day return policy. Please follow me as I have thousands of highly collectible books to list in the coming weeks and months!
Price: 1495 USD
Location: Litchfield Park, Arizona
End Time: 2025-01-03T02:44:31.000Z
Shipping Cost: 8.38 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Binding: Fine Binding
Place of Publication: London
Language: English
Special Attributes: Luxury Edition, Illustrated, Collector's Edition, Limited Edition
Author: Alfred Lord Tennyson
Publisher: Macmillan & Robert Riviere & Son
Topic: Classics
Country/Region of Manufacture: United Kingdom
Subject: Literature & Fiction
Original/Facsimile: Original
Year Printed: 1899