c.1880 – The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth
Antiquarian ILLUSTRATED Hardback / All Edge Gilt / Stunning Decorative Binding / Part of ‘The Arundel Poets’
An exquisite Victorian edition of The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth, published by Frederick Warne and Co., Bedford Street, Strand, London, and printed by Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh and London.
This volume is part of the distinguished ‘Arundel Poets’ series and includes a frontispiece portrait in steel, original illustrations protected by tissue sheets, twelve illustrated plates, and an in-depth memoir and explanatory notes. The plates appear opposite pages 22, 77, 94, 149, 190, 208, 262, 288, 339, 409, 432, and 540.
Though undated, this edition was published sometime between 1865 and 1880. Frederick Warne began publishing in Bedford Street, Covent Garden in 1865, and a pen inscription on the publisher’s preface reads "Xmas 1880", establishing the latest possible date.
Features:
Original publisher’s decorative green cloth binding over boards
Gilt and black detailing on spine and front cover
All edge gilt pages
Light yellow endpapers and pastedowns
Bright interior pages with frontispiece and 12 additional illustrations
606pp + 2pp publisher’s catalogue
Approx. dimensions: 20.2 × 15.4 × 4.4 cm
Approx. weight: 1,020 grams
Contents include:
Juvenile Poems
Poems Referring to the Period of Childhood
Poems Founded on the Affections
Poems of the Fancy
Poems of the Imagination
Miscellaneous Sonnets
Memorials of a Tour in Scotland (1803 and 1814)
Poems on the Naming of Places
Inscriptions
Sonnets Dedicated to Liberty
Memorials of a Tour on the Continent (1820)
Ecclesiastical Sketches (Parts I–III)
The River Duddon – A Series of Sonnets
Poems of Sentiment and Reflection
Poems Referring to the Period of Old Age
Epitaphs and Elegiac Poems
The Excursion
Poems Composed During a Tour in Scotland and on the English Border (1831)
Appendix
Condition:
The binding remains robust and in a very good condition for a book over 140 years old. The decorative green cloth cover is ornately tooled in gilt and black, with only light wear, soft bumping to corners, and a few small marks. Please refer to the photographs provided for visual confirmation.
Internally, the pages are lightly tanned, consistent with age. There is darker tanning on one preliminary page and on page 15 (not obscuring the text), along with light foxing on the pastedowns, endpapers, a few preliminary leaves, and the final pages. Otherwise, the pages are clean, neat, and uncreased, with only the occasional small mark.
There are no rips, no missing pages, and no loose pages, save for the partially detached tissue guard over the frontispiece. A light crack is visible in the gutter between pages 368 and 369, but all pages are secure. The only markings are two small inscriptions: one dated "Xmas 1880" on the preface, and one on the front free endpaper.
About the Author:
William Wordsworth (1770–1850) was a pivotal figure in the Romantic movement. In partnership with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, he transformed English poetry with a focus on nature, memory, and emotional introspection. Wordsworth’s works remain cornerstones of literary study and continue to inspire readers today.
This beautifully bound volume is not only a significant literary work but also a handsome and historically valuable artefact of Victorian publishing.
Please study the photos carefully, as they form part of the description.
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