- 763
Spenser, Edmund
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 USD
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Description
- Spenser, Edmund
- Prothalamion or A Spousall Verse … In Honour of the Double Mariage of the Two Honorable & Vertuous Ladies, the Ladie Elizabeth and the Ladie Katherine Somerset, Daughters to the Right Honourable the Earle of Worcester and Espoused to the Two Worthie Gentlemen M. Henry Gilford, and M. William Peter Esquyers. London: Printed [by J. Orwin] for William Ponsonby, 1596
- printed book
4to (7 3/8 x 5 1/4 in.; 187 x 135 mm). Roman letter (with italics). Arabesque ornament block on title-page, type-ornament borders at head and foot of text pages. Blue morocco gilt by Rivière; some fine and essentially imperceptible repair to spine.
Provenance
Sir Israel Gollancz (sold, with the balance of his Spenser Collection, to) — A. S. W. Rosenbach (initialed, 20 July 1934, on rear pastedown; sold to) — Frank J. Hogan (morocco label; Parke-Bernet, 23 April 1946, lot 158) — Raymond and Elizabeth Hartz (Sotheby's New York, 22 June 199, lot 446) — James O. Edwards (booklabel). acquisition: Ximenes, 2002
Literature
STC 23088; ESTC S111287; Grolier/Langland to Wither 237; Hayward 24; Johnson, Spenser 18; Pforzheimer 975
Condition
4to (7 3/8 x 5 1/4 in.; 187 x 135 mm). Roman letter (with italics). Arabesque ornament block on title-page, type-ornament borders at head and foot of text pages. Blue morocco gilt by Rivière; some fine and essentially imperceptible repair to spine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
First edition; a very attractive copy, preserving deckle on the lower edges, with distinguished provenance. The double marriage of the Earl of Worcester's daughters—occasioning one of Spenser's finest poems—took place at Essex House, 8 November 1596. As Prothalamion was not enetered in the Stationers' Register, it might well have been privately printed.
Rare: ESTC records only eleven copies, and the present is the only one to have appeared at auction since the Bradley Martin sale in 1990.