The Blessed Damozel

This is a very lovely small book of poetry by Dante Gabriel Rossetti with illustrations by Paul Woodroffe. It was published by David McKay, Philadelphia, and dates to circa 1916. This appears to be a special binding, more luxurious than the softcover binding that McKay published, because this one has covers of thick rose-colored suede leather with the title and author impressed deeply into the suede on the front cover and spine. The front and back have double-page illustrations by Paul Woodroffe, as shown, and the title page has a lovely design as well as a facing illustration; there are 3 other illustrations among the 27 pages. The illustrations are in the Arts & Crafts or Art Nouveau style. The page edges are gilt, as shown, and there is a pink ribbon bookmark sewn in. This is the only copy with this binding that I have found. Please use the zoom function to see the great details.
This little volume has survived well for 100 years. The interiors are in good, clean condition; the only condition problems are that the suede cover, which is slightly oversized, has chipped off at the edges, as shown in the last few photos. Still, this is a lovely, lovely volume, of interest to all drawn to the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and a rare copy.