1890 1st Edition – BALLADS by Robert Louis Stevenson. Antiquarian hardback book. 
Bound in the publisher’s original dark blue cloth, with beveled edges, gilt lettering on the spine, and top edge gilt pages. 
 
Published by Chatto & Windus, Piccadilly, London, in 1890. Printed by R. & R. Clark, who were popular book printers during this period. 
There is no dust jacket.
 
Robert Louis Stevenson, the renowned Scottish author, is well-known for his contributions to literature, particularly in the genres of adventure, horror, and children's literature. While he is most famous for works like "Treasure Island" and "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Stevenson also wrote a collection of ballads.
 
Stevenson's ballads showcase his skill in storytelling and his ability to capture the imagination of readers. He drew inspiration from traditional Scottish and English ballads and infused them with his own unique style. His ballads often explore themes of adventure, romance, and the supernatural, reflecting his broader literary interests.
 
Both the spine and the boards are intact and robust. They are in a good condition for a book which is 134 years old. There is just light wear, including several marks/ small patches of fading on the cloth, and bumping to the corners. Please see the photographs provided for further reference. 
 
Inside, the pages are lightly tanned, which is consistent with the age of the book, and there is darker tanning on the endpapers, and light foxing on the pastedowns and endpapers. Besides this, the pages are overall neat and clean, and predominantly uncreased, with only the very occasional small mark, or very light crease. Only a few pages have very small rips to their edges. There is also a very small hole on the inner edge of the contents and the following page. These are minor and so not obscure the text. The pages are not uniform in their edging and roughly cut, but this is most likely to do with the construction method when this book was made and is all part of its beautiful history. The page leaves were probably uncut and then severed with a pen knife. On the front free endpaper there is a pen inscription. However, there is no further pen or pencil written in this book. Between a few pages there are minor cracks in the binding. The pages are all secure and the rest of the pages are tightly bound. There are no missing pages and so all 137 pages are present. 
 
Please study the photos carefully as to the condition of this book, as they do form part of the description. 
 
This measures approximately 19.7 cm by 13.7 cm and 1.8 cm wide. It weighs approximately 439 grams. 
 
Thank you so much for looking.