Rossetti, Dante Gabriel--Keats, John.

8vo, DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI'S COPY WITH HIS EXTENSIVE AUTOGRAPH NOTES, giving his responses to Keats ranging from full-page appreciations of 'Endymion' ("...a magic toy, fit for the childhood of a Divine Poet..."), 'Hyperion' ("...the crown of Keats's genius...") and 'The Eve of Saint Mark', to brief judgemental summaries, not always complimentary ("...Sadly futile...", "...Very poor & puffy..."), as well as occasional specific comments, corrections, and other markings, to about 60 pages altogether, in pencil, ownership inscription of W.M. Rossetti on front free endpaper, dark red cloth, in a red morocco collector's box; text block detached from binding, covers worn

Hodgson's, 22-23 June 1905, lot 530, to Dobell

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"...This wonderful poem [Hyperion] if less intuitive than Shelley's work, is more individual. It is also more characteristically English, having much in common with the Elizabethans & with Milton, yet moving absolutely in a sphere of its own. One hardly sees one's way to any gain for it in completion..."

A FASCINATING AND UNPUBLISHED INSIGHT: ROSSETTI'S PERSONAL RESPONSES TO KEATS'S POETRY. A profound and lifelong love of Keats was shared by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who annotated this volume, and his brother William Michael, the critic and literary editor who appears to have owned it. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood had played a key role in establishing Keats as a major poet: they praised his poems, found in him a kindred artistic sensibility, and took inspiration from his works in their own paintings. Both Rossetti brothers were deeply engaged with Keats when these notes were written in the late 1860s or 1870s. William Michael produced an edition of the poems for Moxon, which, when published in 1872, superseded the edition found here, whilst Dante Gabriel's continuing work on Keats included assisting Harry Buxton Forman in his edition of Keats's Letters.