1867 FINE HENRI MARIUS MICHEL ART NOUVEAU BINDING Swift BYRON Coleridge

  

Lyra elegantiarum: a collection of some of the best specimens of vers de societe and vers d'occasion in the english language by deceased authors. Attractively bound by Marius Mitchel in contemporary gilt-tooled orange levant morocco, red morocco floral onlays, A. Gilt-tooled green levant morocco doublures, free end-leaves of coloured brocaded silk, housed in custom morocco-backed slipcase. Two morocco bookplates to front marbled paper fly-leaf, one unidentified, the other of Francis Kettaneh, printed booksellers description pasted to verso.

An exquisitely bound copy of the first edition of poet Frederick Locker's (1821- 1895) anthology composed of specimens of vers de société and vers d'occasion gleaned from his ample experiences of high society, including poems by, inter alia, Byron, Coleridge, Thackeray, and Swift. He found in the 1878 International Exposition a convenient and appropriate forum through which to promote the revolutionary style of decorative ornaments based on nature, a style he called'La Flore Ornamentale'. He was at first viewed as impudent and rebellious, and his work was objected to on theoretical grounds as being too much like'art', and too little like a product of the binder's craft. But, in the words of Duncan & De Bartha,'the young man's fervent convictions, as well as his superb technical skills, as both a binder and a gilder, won him an increasing number of supporters.

By 1885 his designs were seen as a viable alternative to traditional bindings for certain books'. Other binders began to imitate his approach, but Marius Michel the younger was the'undisputed leader of the new movement, [his] incomparable technique, harmonious selection of colour, and infinite variety of plant motifs [placing] his work above those of his contemporaries'. We offer a wealth of antiquarian books, specialising in early and hand-press printing - but not excluding all others! We are proud and active members of the ABA (Antiquarian Booksellers Association), ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers) and the PBFA (Provincial Book Fairs Association) - professional bodies for the antiquarian book trade, abiding by their codes of practice and exhibiting at several large national and regional book fairs each year. From customers in the UK we accept. For customers from the rest of the world we accept. All books are expertly wrapped, dispatched via national and international postal or courier services, and fully insured from our door to yours. This item is in the category "Books, Comics & Magazines\Antiquarian & Collectable". The seller is "antiquates" and is located in this country: GB.

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• Fiction Subject: Poetry
• Author: