Books

n.p.: Joan Pilsbury, 1951. stiff paper wrappers, cord-tied. Calligraphy. 4to. stiff paper wrappers, cord-tied. 2 page manuscript on vellum. A beautifully-executed portion using calligraphy from the most well-known of Milton's writings. Minor soiling to wrappers. Two of the letters in gilt show minor chipping. Minor soiling to the edge of the verso of the calligraphed vellum, else the leaf is in well-preserved condition. Calligraphy in black, blue, red, and gilt by Joan Pilsbury. The passage written out here is God's crafting of light on the fourth day of Creation. Joan Pilsbury (d. May 2016) was a Scribe and Illuminator to HM Crown Office, and as Tim Sokell wrote in her obituary, "will be remembered for her exquisite work - in writing, drawing and painting.

Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. The first version, published in 1667, consisted of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse.