- 304
Thomson, James
Estimate
2,000 - 3,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- 'The Seasons.' London: T. Bensley & V. Figgins for P.W. Tomkins, 1797
- paper, ink, leather
Folio (18 x 14 7/8 in.; 455 x 370 mm). Half-title, stipple engraved frontispiece by Tomkins, 5pp. subscribers' list, engraved calligraphic dedication by H. Ashby after T. Tomkins, stipple- and line-engraved frontispiece, 6 plates and 14 illustrations by F. Bartolozzi and P.W. Tomkins after W. Hamilton; minor foxing, occasional and minor offsetting, repaired closed marginal tear to 2A2. Contemporary full blue straight-grained morocco, covers with wide decorative neo-classical border, spine in seven compartments with double raised bands, bands highlighted by rules and roll tools, lettered in the second compartment, the seventh compartment with label tooled in gilt with two armorial crests (one of the Peters family, the other unidentified), the remaining compartments with repeat decoration in gilt, turn-ins gilt, marbled endpapers, edges with alternate bands of gilt and blue staining; extremities rubbed, corners bumped with some restoration, some repair to joints.
Provenance
Charlotte Mary Peters (armorial bookplate)
Literature
Abbey 'Life' 252; Brunet V, 836; Cohen/de Ricci p.992; Lowndes IV, p.2671
Condition
Folio (18 x 14 7/8 in.; 455 x 370 mm). Half-title, stipple engraved frontispiece by Tomkins, 5pp. subscribers' list, engraved calligraphic dedication by H. Ashby after T. Tomkins, stipple- and line-engraved frontispiece, 6 plates and 14 illustrations by F. Bartolozzi and P.W. Tomkins after W. Hamilton; minor foxing, occasional and minor offsetting, repaired closed marginal tear to 2A2. Contemporary full blue straight-grained morocco, covers with wide decorative neo-classical border, spine in seven compartments with double raised bands, bands highlighted by rules and roll tools, lettered in the second compartment, the seventh compartment with label tooled in gilt with two armorial crests (one of the Peters family, the other unidentified), the remaining compartments with repeat decoration in gilt, turn-ins gilt, marbled endpapers, edges with alternate bands of gilt and blue staining; extremities rubbed, corners bumped with some restoration, some repair to joints.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.
Catalogue Note
A deluxe edition of Thomson's famed poem, with stipple-engravings from two of the greatest engravers of their time, and in a magnificent contemporary binding.
Thomson's paean to the countryside and the simple country life is now seen as a precursor of the Romantic Movement in English poetry, as exemplified by Wordsworth and Coleridge. The present edition, published the year before the appearance of the 'Lyrical Ballads,' is perhaps the most luxurious edition of 'The Seasons' ever published.
Thomson's paean to the countryside and the simple country life is now seen as a precursor of the Romantic Movement in English poetry, as exemplified by Wordsworth and Coleridge. The present edition, published the year before the appearance of the 'Lyrical Ballads,' is perhaps the most luxurious edition of 'The Seasons' ever published.