Border Lances 1886 first edition illustrated historical romance by Emma Seeley – A Romance of the Northern Marches in the Reign of Edward III
 
By Emma Louise Seeley (“Author of Belt and Spur”) - First Edition, Illustrated
 
Publication Details
 
Title: Border Lances – A Romance of the Northern Marches in the Reign of Edward III
Author: Emma Louise Seeley (credited as the author of Belt and Spur)
Edition: First Edition (1886)
Publisher: Seeley and Co., 46, 47 & 48 Essex Street, London
Printer: Woodfall & Kinder, Milford Street, London
Illustrations: 12 colour lithographic plates (including frontispiece with tissue guard) by M. & N. Hanhart, together with numerous black-and-white illustrations and grotesques copied from medieval bestiaries and manuscripts
Pagination: 272 pages + 20-page publisher’s catalogue
Dimensions: 19.5 × 14 × 3.4 cm
Weight: 617 g
 
Binding and Physical Features
 
Bound in the publisher’s striking blue pictorial cloth, lavishly decorated in gilt and red on the front board and spine.
Stylised gilt lettering and ornate medieval-inspired designs.
Boards and spine remain robust and intact, with age-related wear:
Small rips at corners and spine ends
Several light marks and patches of cloth discolouration (mostly to spine)
Spine with slight lean
A visually impressive example of late-Victorian decorative bindings.
 
Interior Condition
 
Endpapers & prelims: Yellow endpapers with light stains, rubbing, and remnants of a previous ownership plate.
Pages: Light tanning, occasional foxing, and small marks consistent with age. Predominantly neat, clean, and uncreased.
Illustrations: All 12 colour lithographs by Hanhart present with tissue guards, alongside numerous black-and-white illustrations. Plates remain bright and striking.
Defects noted:
Handful pages with small rips at their edges, including small rip at the inner edge of p.137 (with corresponding overleaf) (none affecting text)
Very small hole in the front free endpaper
Occasional very small page folds or creases
Very small amount of pencil on the page adjacent to page 1 and on final page of publisher’s catalogue. No further pen or pencil present.
A few page edges roughly cut at the bottom from original uncut leaves
Binding: Secure overall. Crack at gutter between front pastedown and endpaper; flyleaf partially loose at top but still attached. Very light cracks in gutters elsewhere, though no loose or missing pages.
Pagination complete: All 272 text pages + 20 pages of publisher’s catalogue are present.
 
Literary Significance
 
Emma Louise Seeley, the little-known author behind Border Lances and Belt and Spur, specialised in historically themed romances rooted in meticulous research.
In her preface, she states reliance on the Chronicle of Lanercost and other medieval sources, seeking historical accuracy while weaving in creative licence. The tale centres on Edward III’s northern campaigns and the legendary marriage of Sir John de Copeland to the widow of Sir William de Coucy, which Seeley employs as the basis of her story.
The grotesque illustrations scattered through the text are copied from genuine fourteenth-century manuscripts, giving the book an authentic medieval flavour.
 
Rarity
 
First edition, 1886, with complete set of 12 colour lithographs by the distinguished lithographers M. & N. Hanhart.
Ornate publisher’s binding still bright and decorative despite wear.
Not commonly found on the market, especially complete and in collectable condition.