Lays of Ancient Rome; With Ivry and The Armada
London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1893. Later edition. Hardcover. 8vo. [7], viii-xxix, [4], 4-191, [3] pp. Contemporary polished calf with twin gilt rules to each board,, spine in six compartments with a morocco label lettered in gilt on the spine, Forest School embossed on the front board (this copy is a prize binding), gilt dentelles to the insides of the boards; all edges gilt. Marbled endpapers and pastedowns. With forty-one illustrations by J.R. Weguelin. Originally published in 1842, the Lays of Ancient Rome was inspired by Macaulay's trip to Italy. The Lays are a collection of poems based on figures and battles from early Roman history including Romulus and Remus, the death of Virginia and the founding of the plebeian tribune, and the warfare between the Romans, Latins, and Etruscans. Macaulay's work was incredibly popular when it was published, and has since been praised for its "rhetorical power", even said to be admired by Winston Churchill (Kunitz: British Authors of the Nineteenth Century, 396-398). Near Fine. Item #000011625
A touch of rubbing to the extremties and an 1896 prize inscription on the first blank leaf.
Price: $225.00