Sir E. W. Watkin, Alderman Cobden of Manchester: Letters and Reminiscences of Richard Cobden, with Portraits, Illustrations, Facsimiles, and Index. London, New York, and Melbourne: Ward, Lock, Bowden & Co., 1891.

Scarce Edition de Luxe, limited to 400 copies printed for sale, this being No. 77, signed by Sir E. W. Watkin, Bart., M.P.

This illustrated memorial volume concerns Richard Cobden, the Manchester reformer, statesman, free trade advocate, and leading figure of the Anti-Corn Law League. The book contains personal reminiscences, letters, portraits, illustrations, facsimiles, and historical material relating to Cobden, Manchester civic life, the Manchester Athenaeum, the Anti-Corn Law League, the Cobden Treaty, free trade, and 19th-century British political reform.

Contents include chapters on Mr. Cobden and the Manchester Corporation, Mr. Cobden and My Father, Misery and Stevenson Square, Mr. Cobden and the Pottinger Dinner of 1844, The Souvenirs, Mr. Cobden and the Manchester Athenaeum, Mr. Cobden and the Taxes on Knowledge, Mr. Cobden and the Illustrated London News, The Cobden Treaty, and Last Words.

The volume is illustrated with portraits and views, including Richard Cobden at different ages, Cobden family portraits, Manchester Town Hall, Cobden’s house in Quay Street, Stevenson Square, the Manchester Athenaeum, the Free Trade Hall, and Cobden in his garden. It also includes facsimiles and related material, including a member’s ticket of the Anti-Corn Law League and facsimile letters associated with Richard Cobden, Thomas Carlyle, Charles Dickens, and Benjamin Disraeli.

This copy also bears a Manchester Union Club bookplate and stamp.

Condition:
Original boards with leather spine. Binding is heavily worn, with rubbing, scuffing, losses, splitting, exposed material, and damage to the spine and corners. Boards show wear, soiling, edge wear, and bumped and worn corners. Hinges and gutters are weak and worn, with some looseness or starting. Contents show toning, foxing, handling wear, scattered marks, and general age wear. Illustrated plates and facsimiles remain presentable. Please review photos for condition.