JOHN MILTON — THE POETICAL WORKS
Full Crimson Morocco Fine Binding • Elaborate Gilt Decoration
James Comerford Armorial Bookplate • All Edges Gilt
Edited by William Michael Rossetti • Illustrated by Thomas Seccombe
John Milton. The Poetical Works of John Milton: Including the Latin Poems, and Translations from the Italian Poets. Edited, with a critical memoir, by William Michael Rossetti. Illustrated by Thomas Seccombe. London: Ward, Lock & Co., under the E. Moxon, Son & Co. imprint, undated [circa 1880].
Approximately 7½ × 5 inches. xx, 460 pages.
A handsome late-Victorian edition of Milton’s poetry in an elaborate contemporary full crimson morocco binding, with richly gilt covers and spine, marbled endpapers, and all page edges gilt.
The volume contains Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes, Comus, Lycidas, L’Allegro, Il Penseroso, the sonnets, psalms, miscellaneous and Latin poems, and translations from Italian poets.
Edited by William Michael Rossetti—writer, critic, and member of the Pre-Raphaelite circle—the edition is illustrated by Thomas Seccombe with a portrait frontispiece, illustrated additional title, full-page plates, and decorative headpieces and tailpieces.
JAMES COMERFORD PROVENANCE
The front pastedown bears the engraved armorial bookplate of James Comerford, JP, FSA (1806–1881), the noted Victorian antiquarian, bibliophile, and collector.
The bookplate displays Comerford’s quartered arms, peacock-head crest, and motto:
“So Ho Ho Dea Ne.”
Comerford assembled an extensive library particularly strong in county histories, local topography, heraldry, genealogy, voyages, illustrated books, and finely bound editions. Following his death, his library was sold by Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge beginning on November 16, 1881, and continuing for twelve further days.
The bookplate provides an attractive and identifiable association with a significant nineteenth-century English collection. No attempt has been made to match this volume to a particular lot in Comerford’s sale catalogue.
THE BINDING
Bound in full crimson-red morocco with:
The binding is unsigned, and no attribution to a particular binder is made.
CONDITION
Very Good antiquarian condition.
The full morocco binding remains sound, attractive, and highly displayable. The gilt decoration is strong and well defined, with light rubbing and shelfwear at the corners, joints, raised bands, and spine extremities.
There is a small area of leather loss at the head of the spine, clearly visible in the photographs. The boards remain securely attached, and the binding is structurally sound. Corners show light wear but retain their shape.
The marbled endpapers are well preserved, and Comerford’s armorial bookplate remains firmly attached to the front pastedown. The gilt page edges retain considerable brightness, with minor marks from handling.
Internally generally clean, with mild paper toning and occasional light spotting or foxing, particularly around some preliminary leaves and plates. No extensive staining, annotation, or textual loss has been observed.
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
Author: John Milton
Editor: William Michael Rossetti
Illustrator: Thomas Seccombe
Title: The Poetical Works of John Milton
Publisher: Ward, Lock & Co. / E. Moxon, Son & Co. imprint
Place: London
Date: Undated [circa 1880]
Pagination: xx, 460 pages
Dimensions: Approximately 7½ × 5 inches
Binding: Full crimson morocco
Decoration: Elaborate gilt tooling
Endpapers: Marbled
Edges: All edges gilt
Provenance: James Comerford, JP, FSA, armorial bookplate
Language: English
Condition: Very Good
An especially attractive Victorian Milton, combining Rossetti’s editorial contribution, Seccombe’s illustrations, an elaborate full crimson morocco binding, and distinguished nineteenth-century