A Casket of Gems (1874) Victorian Illustrated Poetry Anthology William P. Nimmo
 
A Casket of Gems – Choice Selections from the Poets
Illustrated Victorian Poetry Anthology | All-Edge Gilt
London & Edinburgh: William P. Nimmo, 14 King William Street, Strand, 1874
 
Description
A finely produced Victorian poetry anthology, comprising curated selections from celebrated English poets, issued as part of Nimmo’s Popular Poets series. The volume is richly illustrated and presented in an ornate publisher’s binding, reflecting the period’s emphasis on gift books that combined literary culture with decorative craftsmanship.
 
Illustrations
Illustrated throughout, including:
Frontispiece with original protective tissue guard
Colour-decorated half-title page for Nimmo’s Popular Poets
Illustrated title page
Full-page plates facing pages 115, 145, 303, 327, 489, and 695
All illustrations, plates, and decorative elements are present and complete.
 
Binding
Original publisher’s green decorative cloth, bound over boards and spine.
Ornate colour, black, and gilt decoration to the front board, incorporating a decorative pasted plate
Ornate gilt and black decoration to the spine, with remnants of decorative paper plates
Blind-stamped decoration to the rear board
All page edges gilt
 
Condition
 
Exterior Condition:
The binding is sound and intact, with wear consistent with age and careful handling. This includes soft bumping to the corners, rubbing at the extremities, small rips at the head and tail of the spine, light surface marks, and localised rubbing to the decorative pasted plates, more noticeable on the spine. Overall, the cloth remains robust and visually appealing.
 
Interior Condition:
Brown pastedowns and endpapers. The pages are lightly tanned and characteristically thin. Internally, the book is notably clean and well-preserved for its age, with pages predominantly uncreased. There are very occasional small marks and minor creasing to a small number of pages, none affecting legibility.
A few pages show very small edge rips to the inner or outer margins, minimal and unobtrusive, with no loss of text. The binding exhibits cracking at the gutters, between the pastedowns and free endpapers, resulting in a slightly shaken feel, and light cracks between a few internal pages; however, the text block remains intact and secure, with all pages firmly held.
There is no pen or pencil writing within the book.
 
Associated Material
Laid in and retained with the volume are two period items, included as part of its historical association:
A newspaper cutting titled “It Is Gray’s Elegy”
A handwritten manuscript note discussing the poet Thomas Gray
 
Collation
Complete with 717 pages, followed by 16 pages of publisher’s catalogue at the rear.
All pages are present and accounted for.
 
Dimensions & Weight
Approx. 16.8 × 12.2 × 4 cm
Weight: c. 524 grams
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
William P. Nimmo was a prominent nineteenth-century publisher, particularly noted for producing finely bound, illustrated poetry collections aimed at the Victorian gift-book market. The Popular Poets series exemplifies this tradition, offering accessible literary selections in richly decorated bindings designed to appeal to both readers and collectors.
 
Summary
A handsome and complete example of a Victorian illustrated poetry anthology, featuring all-edge gilt pages, ornate publisher’s binding, and well-preserved interior contents. Despite expected age-related wear and a gently shaken binding, this remains an attractive and collectible volume, well suited to collectors of Victorian literature, poetry anthologies, and decorative cloth bindings.