Description
AB119583, Byron Lord, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage: A Romaunt, London, 1812, Printed by Thomas Davison for John Murray, 3rd Edition, Red Cloth, Very Good, xii, 201pp. This copy contains Cantos I & II, the facsimile of the Romaic Letter (bound onto the stub of excised leaf xiii/xiv with ix- xii correctly paginated; hence the 3rd edition) & the notes but not all after p.201; the 20 other poems & appendix. However, bound in by additional more recent stitching are the 4 plates illustrating this poem (1 for each canto) from the 21 executed by Richard Westall & engraved by Charles Heath dated 1819. Also bound in are the verses which they illustrate neatly handwritten in a 19th century (I would guess) female hand onto the rectos only of 4 separate sheets of different but comparable stock to its text. Each is headed Childe Harold 1 – 4 & paginated 5 – 8. For a little further obfuscation; there are 2 heavy erasures made on the title page (3rd edition is one?) with a boldly illegible George N*** ? signature between Pilgrimage & A Romaunt. Did Wise have a daughter? Ffep removed & a little foxed in places. Binding rubbed at extremities & shaken but still sound. Bookplate from the library of Anne Renier & F. G. Renier whose collection of children’s books was given to the V & A. Was it them? Randolph p. 21. A wonky-eyed one-off must-have assemblage for those that already have the rest.
