Rossetti's Poems (1870 and 1881)

Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, POEMS (London: F.S. Ellis, 1870).  First edition, 19 x 12.5cm (8vo), in publisher's dark green fine linen-texture cloth w/gilt floral & trellis design (by DGR) to covers & spine, gilt title to spine, w/cover design repeated in dark blue on pale blue ep.s & binder's ticket (Burn) to recto of final ep., [i-vii] viii-xi [xii], [1] 2-282 [283-284], [1-4 publ. adverts], [1-16 blanks].  Printed by Strangeways & Walden, London.  With the neatly erased pencil name of M. Maurice to titlepage.  Binding Very Good (a few marks to cloth); contents Near-Fine.  Slater 3, Rossetti 17, Vaughan 11, Ashley IV 132, Ehrsam & Deily 218, Fredeman 23.8, Fennell 20, Colbeck 10 (in dark blue cloth).  (Inv. #198)  C$450 In addition to the reviews of Poems (1870) listed in Fredeman's bibliography (1965), the following notices & reviews have been noted: -- Academy 13 Nov. 1869 p.36 (pre-publication notice); -- John Bull 7 May 1870 p.319 -- Academy 14 May 1870 p.5 (publisher's advert) -- Graphic 14 May 1870 p.567 -- Literary World 1 June 1870 p.12 -- New York Evening Post 7 June 1870 p.1 -- New York Daily Tribune 8 June 1870 p.6 (Roberts Bros. advert) -- Littell's Living Age 11 June 1870 pp.686-97, & 18 June 1870 pp.725-27 (reprints of Skelton's & Morris's reviews) -- Examiner and London Review 25 June 1870 p.404 -- Manchester Examiner and Times 29 June 1870 p.3 -- Guardian 5 Oct. 1870 p.1181 -- Academy 15 June 1871 p.89 -- Galaxy Sept. 1872 pp.422-23 (on the Fleshly School controversy) Source: Tobin, Thomas J., Pre-Raphaelitism in the 19th Century Press: A Bibliography (Victoria BC: U. of Victoria, 2002)

Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, POEMS (London: F.S. Ellis, 1870).  First edition, 19 x 12.5cm (8vo), in publisher's dark blue fine linen-texture cloth w/gilt floral & trellis design (by DGR) to covers & spine, gilt title to spine, w/cover design repeated in dark blue on pale blue ep.s, [i-vii] viii-xi [xii], [1] 2-282 [283-284], [1-4 publ. adverts], [1-16 blanks].  Printed by Strangeways & Walden, London.  With the decorative bookplate (designed by "EML") of William Crampton to fr. pastedown.  Binding Near-Fine (a few stains to fr. ep.); contents Near-Fine.  Slater 3, Rossetti 17, Vaughan 11, Ashley IV 132, Ehrsam & Deily 218, Fredeman 23.8, Fennell 20, Colbeck 10.  (Inv. #539)  C$450

An Association Copy

Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, POEMS (London: F.S. Ellis, 1871).  Fifth edition, 19 x 12.5cm (8vo), in publisher's dark teal cloth w/gilt floral & trellis design (by DGR) to covers & spine, gilt title to spine, a.e. untrimmed, w/cover design repeated in dark blue on pale blue ep.s w/binder's ticket (Burn) to recto of final ep., 282 (xii) pp. +8pp. publ. adverts to rear.  Printed by Strangeways & Walden, London.  Inscribed "With Estlin's love to his Mother, May 8th 1871" to half-title, & "For Margaret from John Masefield, 14th September, 1954" to Dedication page.  Binding Good (spine darkened, a few bubbles to cloth, corner tips sl. worn, & hinges cracked); contents Near-Fine.  Colbeck 19.  (Inv. #519)  C$150


Large Paper Copy of Poems 1881

Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, POEMS: A NEW EDITION (London: Ellis & White, 1881).  First edition thus, 22.5 x 14cm (8vo), in publisher's cream paper spine over slate blue boards, paper title-label to spine, deckle edges, [i-ix] x-xi [xii], [1-3] 4-294, [1-2 publ. adverts] mostly unopened pp.  Limited Edition Large Paper Copy printed on Whatman watermarked handmade paper by Strangeways & Sons, London.  An ex-library copy w/traces of markings to the spine & half-title; binding Fair (extremities a bit worn w/loss to spine & label, & fr. joint cracked); contents Very Good (fore-edges browned).  Slater p.218, Rossetti 34 ("there were also 31 copies printed on large paper"), Vaughan 11, Ashley IV 148, Fredeman 23.11 ("contains four poems not in" the 1870 ed.), Fennell 22, Colbeck 23.  (Inv. #455)  C$500 Home Page