Books

Three volumes. 4to. Pp. [2], lxiii, [1], xxxvii, [3], 453; [2], 450; [2], 440. All edges dyed red. with Thomas Birch's "Life of the Author" bound following contents but before other preliminaries, 32 double-page plates engraved by John Vardy after William Kent, along with woodcut head- and tail-pieces. In full contemporary calf, spines with gilt lettering and five raised bands. All edges dyed red; top edges a bit soiled. Light pencil annotations in the margins of the biography and very occasionally elsewhere; lower edges lightly rubbed; corners a trifle bumped; damp stain to lower board of Vol. III; a few leaves minimally foxed. For this luxe illustrated edition William Kent, already famous for his English landscapes, delved into a Gothic formula appropriate to the chivalric quest motif of Spenser's epic allegory. The result is a noted sympathy entirely befitting Spenser's theme. Indeed, Kent heightens the essence of Spenser's themes. The effort was Kent's apogee, for he died prior to publication.This lavish illustrated edition is presented here in notably well preserved bindings. A stately set.

The Faerie Queene is a celebrated epic poem by Edmund Spenser, first published in 1590. The poem is an allegory praising Queen Elizabeth I and reflecting the values and ideologies of Elizabethan England. It is one of the longest poems in the English language and is renowned for its richly imaginative narrative and moral allegory.