In the Footsteps of the Poets
 
By Professor David Masson
c.1895 | Isbister & Company, London / Illustrated / Fine Arts & Crafts Binding
Date: Undated, but ownership plate dated 1895, widely accepted as the first edition.
 
A beautifully produced and richly illustrated late Victorian literary gift book, featuring a striking Arts and Crafts pictorial cloth binding. Authored by Professor David Masson (1822–1907), eminent Scottish literary critic, historian, and professor of English literature, this volume blends biographical sketches and scenic travel writing to trace the lives and landscapes of English poets.
 
Lavishly decorated and extensively illustrated, In the Footsteps of the Poets includes a fine frontispiece and a wealth of engravings throughout the text, including numerous plates. Many of these depict sites associated with English literary greats, combining Masson’s scholarship with the popular Victorian taste for literary tourism.
 
This copy is a particularly attractive example, retaining the original publisher’s gilt pictorial cloth boards, beautifully decorated in a stylised floral Arts & Crafts design in green, orange, and gold. A superb piece of late 19th-century book design, likely dating from around 1895 (undated, but with an ex-libris plate dated July 1895).
 
Physical Details
Binding: Bound in beautifully decorated and textured gilt cloth, over boards. Lettering appears over a gilt background on both the front board and spine. The front board and spine are elaborately blocked with floral and foliate Arts & Crafts motifs in green, orange, and gold.
Publisher: Isbister & Company Ltd., 15 & 16 Tavistock Street, Covent Garden, London.
Printer: J. S. Virtue & Co., Limited, City Road, London.
Pagination: All pages present - 381 pages, plus 3-page publisher’s catalogue at the rear.
Illustrations: Numerous in-text illustrations and many full-page plates as noted above.
Dimensions: Approx. 19 × 13 × 3.2 cm.
Weight: Approx. 642g.
 
Condition
A handsome and well-preserved example in very good condition overall.
Boards: Bright and attractive, with only light wear to extremities and a touch of soft bumping.
Spine: Clean and fully legible, with minor wear to head and tail.
Pages: Bright throughout. There is very light foxing, mostly to prelims, and a few marks on the page edges, visible only when the book is closed. Inside, just the occasional small mark not affecting legibility. No creases.
Binding: Tight and secure throughout. There are light, partial cracks to the inner hinges (between the pastedowns and free endpapers) and a couple of very light, superficial gutter cracks within, but the text block remains sound and stable.
Rips: Just a small inner margin tear affecting pages 217–222, not encroaching on the text.
Ownership Marks: Ex-libris plate to front pastedown for Ethel Munby, dated July 1895, and a lightly impressed stamp to front free endpaper. No writing or annotations.
 
Provenance & Collectibility
Professor David Masson was a central figure in 19th-century English literary scholarship, best known for his monumental Life of John Milton. This volume showcases his rich biographical style, combining literary reverence with engaging travel narrative. The decorative binding,  with its vivid Arts and Crafts aesthetic, is especially sought after among collectors of 19th-century design, book arts, and literary heritage.
 
Rarity
While this book occasionally appears in the trade, copies in this condition and with such a bright, unfaded binding are uncommon. The ornate pictorial cloth binding significantly enhances its appeal to collectors of Victorian gift books and decorative cloth bindings.