Books

London: Smith Elder and Co., 1848 to 1860, First (Vols III, IV, and V) Second (Vol II) and Fourth Edition (Vol I). Approximately 10 � inches tall. Five full leather bound volumes by Wright in an elegant binding, with gilt titles and decoration to twin red and green labels, gilt decoration to the spine compartments, all page edges gilt, some marks and scratches to the leather. REPAIRED to all the spine joints. Internally sporadically foxed see photos. Five volumes. Volume I II fourth and second Editions [1848]; Vol III to V first Editions [1856-60]. Volumes III-V each with frontispiece plus a total of 85 engravings on steel and 8 on wood, and several wood-engraved illustrations in the text by the author, J. M. W. Turner, and others. Vol I - 1848, lxiii, [i], 422pp; Vol II - 1848, xvi, 220pp; Vol III - 1856, xix, [i], 348pp, Frontispiece plus plates 1-17 engravigs on steel (one in colour), tissue guard missing on plate 4; Vol IV - 1856, xii, 411pp, Frontispiece plus plates 18-50 engravings on steel, tissue guard missing on plate 29, 30 and 45; Vol V - 1860, xvi, 384pp, Frontispiece plus plates 51-84 plus unnumbered 85 engravings on steel, and 8 engravings on wood. John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, as well as an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, philosopher, prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and political economy. His writing styles and literary forms were equally varied. He wrote essays and treatises, poetry and lectures, travel guides and manuals, letters and even a fairy tale. He also made detailed sketches and paintings of rocks, plants, birds, landscapes, and architectural structures and ornamentation. The elaborate style that characterised his earliest writing on art gave way in time to plainer language designed to communicate his ideas more effectively. In all of his writing, he emphasised the connections between nature, art and society. Provenance: book plate for Belton House to the front paste down, seat of the Brownlow family. Approximately 10 � inches tall. Condition Report Externally Spine good condition REPAIRED with the spine laid on, gilt titles to twin labels, five raised gilt bands, rubbed, worn, with marks and scratches. Joints good condition REPAIRED to all joints, rubbed and worn. Corners good condition bumped and worn. Boards good condition polished calf leather, marks and scratches see photos. Page edges good condition all edges gilt. See above and photos. Internally Hinges good condition repaired, secure. Paste downs good condition marbled, book plate for Belton House. End papers good condition marbled. Title good condition lightly tanned, some foxing. Pages good condition lightly tanned, some foxing, illustrated to Vols III-V. Binding good condition. See photos. Publisher: see above. Publication Date: 1848-1860 Binding: Hardback.

This five-volume work argued that art should focus on depicting nature with truth and sincerity.