1914 – The Expansion of England by J.R. Seeley
 
Antiquarian Prize Leather Binding from Adams’s Grammar School
 
A Handsome Edwardian-Era Copy of Seeley’s Influential Lectures on British Imperialism, in Full Scarlet Calf Prize Binding.
 
Published by Macmillan and Co., London, and printed by R. & R. Clark, Edinburgh, this 1914 reprint of The Expansion of England: Two Courses of Lectures by Sir J.R. Seeley is finely bound in full scarlet polished calf leather, with gilt panelled boards, raised bands, gilt spine lettering, marbled endpapers, and all-edge marbled pages. The front board features a gilt crest for Adams’s Grammar School, Newport, Shropshire, where this was awarded as a prize.
 
This volume presents Seeley’s influential reflections on the development of the British Empire in the Victorian period. First published in 1883, these lectures explore how England’s colonial growth shaped modern global politics and culture. Seeley’s assertion that "we seem, as it were, to have conquered half the world in a fit of absence of mind" remains widely quoted in imperial studies.
 
Historical Provenance:
This copy was awarded by Adams’s Grammar School, now known as Haberdashers’ Adams, a prestigious selective grammar school. It includes a prize bookplate on the front pastedown, completed in pen. Former pupils include Jeremy Corbyn, James E. Quibell, and Thomas Parker, among others.
 
Condition:
The leather binding is robust, clean, and richly decorated, showing only light surface wear, a horizontal dent to the rear board, and faint marks. The marbled edges have some fading, but the overall appearance remains striking.
Internally, the pages are lightly tanned with very occasional foxing, but are uncreased, unmarked (aside from the prize plate), and securely bound. No pages are missing or loose. All 359 pages are present and complete.
 
Dimensions:
Approx. 17.4 cm x 12.5 cm x 2.6 cm
Weight: approx. 382 grams
 
This is a handsome and historically rich copy of an important work on the British Empire, perfect for collectors of political history, educational ephemera, or fine leather bindings.