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 linen w/gilt floral & trellis design (by the author) to covers & spine, gilt title to spine, decorative dark blue on pale blue ep.s w/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, Ball 161, Colbeck 10 (in dark blue cloth).  (Inv. #198)  C$450

Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, POEMS (London: F.S. Ellis, 1870).  First edition, 19 x 12.5cm (8vo), in publisher's dark blue linen w/gilt floral & trellis design (by the author) to covers & spine, gilt title to spine, decorative 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, Ball 161, Colbeck 10.  (Inv. #539)  C$450

An Association Copy from a Poet Laureate

Rossetti, Dante Gabriel, POEMS (London: F.S. Ellis, 1871).  Fifth edition, 19 x 12.5cm (8vo), in publisher's dark green linen w/gilt floral & trellis design (by the author) to covers & spine, gilt title to spine, a.e. untrimmed, decorative dark blue on pale blue ep.s w/binder's ticket (Burn) to recto of final ep., 282 (xii) pp. +8pp. publ. cat. 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.  In his tribute to Rossetti Thanks Before Going (Heinemann, 1946), Masefield indicates that DGR's poetry was "the most kindling influence among the young men of my time" (see Fennell 435).  Binding Good (spine darkened, a few bubbles to cloth, corner tips sl. worn, & hinges cracked); contents Near-Fine.  Colbeck 19.  (Inv. #519)  C$200


One of 31 Large Paper Copies 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 printed on watermarked Whatman handmade paper by Strangeways & Sons, London.  With the small blindstamp of American International to titlepage, & traces of their markings to spine & fr. pastedown.  Binding Fair (spine darkened w/loss to extremities & label, corner tips sl. worn, & fr. joint cracked); contents Near-Fine.  Slater p.218, Rossetti 34 ("there were also 31 copies printed on large paper"), Vaughan 11, Ashley IV 148, Fredeman 23.11, Fennell 22 ("contains most of the poems first seen in [Poems 1870], except that the House of Life has been removed ... and a few sonnets have been eliminated.  Four new poems and three new translations are added"), Colbeck 23.  (Inv. #455)  C$500 Home Page