This lot is for
The Life of Edward Lord Herbert of Cherbury written by himself published in London and printed for J Dodsley in Pall Mall 1770.
23 x 18.5cm book in a full original leather binding over boards with raised bands ot the spine and gilt decoration to the panels and label to the 2nd panel. Gilt lettering to the label, Large armorial bookplate of Sir Herbert Eustace Maxwell of Monreith , hand coloured to the front pastedown with loose shelf ticket for the Monreith House library within. Previous owners name to the ned paper of J A Matthew. , 2nd end paper present + fold out frontispiece pf Edward Lord Herbert of Chirbury (yes this is spelt differently to the Cherbury on the title page
Title page + 2pp dedication + 6pp advertisement + 173pp no end papers to the rear (p11/12 torn to fore edge without loss and not affecting the text) (hand written note to page 27 - "The Physician noticing how Saxifrage grows in rocky place and in crevices thought here is the plant for curing stone" to page 28 it just states "castor oil" with Olium Castorii underlined in the text). Some transference from frontispiece to the title page and odd age marks otherwise clean throughout.
While the title page credits J. Dodsley in Pall Mall, this 1770 edition is deeply tied to Horace Walpole, the famous Gothic novelist and son of Prime Minister Robert Walpole.
The Background: Lord Herbert of Cherbury (1582–1648) was a soldier, diplomat, and philosopher whose colorful, eccentric autobiography was completely lost to the world for over a century. Walpole discovered the original manuscript and first printed a tiny, ultra-rare run at his private Strawberry Hill Press in 1764. Because the public clamored for a wider release, Walpole allowed J. Dodsley to print this official 1770 edition. The text contains Walpole's dedicated preface.
The Ultimate Maxwell Collector: Sir Herbert was a prolific historian, archaeologist, president of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, and a talented watercolour artist.
The Hand-Coloured Bookplate: Sir Herbert had a beautiful, custom armorial bookplate engraved for his library (often designed by the famed engraver Harry Soane). Because Sir Herbert was a skilled artist himself, it was a regular habit for him or his family to hand-tint and colour the family crest on the pastedown using watercolours. This adds a tremendous amount of personal charm and artisan value over a basic black-and-white print
The note about Saxifrage curing "the stone" (kidney/bladder stones) refers to the ancient medical philosophy where a plant's physical shape or habitat indicated its medical use. Because Saxifrage grows by splitting rocks and crevices, medieval and early modern doctors believed it could shatter stones in the human body
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Note
All items are described however please feel free to ask questions as it is important to both you and I that you are paying for what you actually want. Some minor imperfections may occur which are common with items of age. Please contact me directly should you receive something that you have a query with .
And ultimately thank you for looking.