The Faerie Queene Disposed into Twelve Bookes Fashioning XII Morall Vertues [WITH] Spenser's Minor Poems by Spenser, Edmund - 1923

[Chelsea]: The Ashendene Press (1923 / 1925), 1923. Limited Edition. Vellum. Near Fine. Elephant folio size, 635 pp. Limited editions, with the Faerie Queene being one of 180 printed on paper (there were also 12 printed on vellum) and the Minor Poems being one of 200 printed on paper (with an additional 15 being printed on vellum). The two volumes were designed to be companion volumes as St. John Hornby noted in his bibliography; they were printed and bound in a similar manner, and this set comes with a custom slipcase to house both volumes. Many have noted the plea he made opposite the colophon page in the Faerie Queene to future binders not to crop the edges; he had designed a "book beautiful" and wished it not to be desecrated. The volumes are indeed lovely, printed in double columns with a liberal use of red and blue ink, with large intials designed by Graily Hewitt in red and blue; in the Minor Poems there is a larger use of blue than in any of the other books. ___DESCRIPTION: The two volumes bound uniformly, with the binding stamp of "WHS" on the turn-in of the back board in the Faerie Queene, quarter bound in brown cowhide with gilt lettering on the spines, ivory vellum sides over thick boards, red and blue ink used throughout as referenced above, text pages in double columns, type Subiaco on Batchelor paper bearing the Knight in Armour water-mark; elephant folio size (almost 17" tall), pagination: Faerie Queene, (i-viii), 1-406, colophon (407); Minor Poems (i-iv), (1)-216 with colophon on final page. Both volumes are housed in a custom slipcase with a brown leather spine and white paper sides, with a black leather spine label with gilt lettering; there is an inner slipcase covered in brown cloth, divided, with each compartment having a folder of brown cloth on the outside, lined with velvet inside, into which the two volumes fit and are protected. ___CONDITION: Both volumes near fine, the brown leather spines remain deep in colour, the vellum boards are of a natural dark shade; internally both volumes have strong, square text blocks, solid hinges, perfectly straight corners with no rubbing, the interiors are clean and bright, and they are entirely free of prior owner markings; there is one shallow scratch mark to the back board of Faerie Queene and both volumes have light foxing to the preliminary and final blank leaves as well as to the text block edges, both have some offsetting to the free endpapers from the leather spines, and the front free endpapers of both volumes have some darkening from smoke damage (no odors) near the top and bottom edges. The custom slipcase is near fine with some faint soiling to one side, the inner box and two folders are fine. ___CITATION: Hornby 32 and 35. ___POSTAGE: Please note that this set is extremely large and heavy, and depending on destination some additional postage may apply; please contact us for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.