MacDonald, George, Dante Gabriel and
Christina Rossetti, William Allingham, et. al., A WELCOME:
ORIGINAL CONTRIBUTIONS IN POETRY AND PROSE (London: Emily
Faithfull, Printer & Publisher in Ordinary to Her Majesty,
1863). First edition, 20 x 13.5cm (4to), in publisher's light
sienna tree calf w/gilt Royal insignia framed by gilt ribbed border
& brown ruling to covers, gilt Feathers & Crown of the Prince
of Wales, title & date, & brown Royal Arms of Denmark to spine,
bevelled edges, decorative gilt turn-ins, a.e.g., double pale pink
ep.s, [i-v] vi [vii-viii], [1] 2-291 [292] pp., w/the Victoria Press
device to titlepage & numerous decorative initial letters.
Printed by the publisher at her Victoria
Press, & inscribed by her to recto of fr. ep.: "A.M. Rule"
& "L.A. Rule." Binding Good (extremities bumped &
moderately rubbed, & offset from turn-ins to ep.s); contents Good
(scattered foxing). Sadleir 3210, Fredeman 84.2, Colbeck 187
(p.1055); see also W.E. Fredeman, "Emily Faithfull" (in The Library,
June 1974), pp.154, 156-57 ("A Welcome ... must be represented
in any collection of Victorian book production"), 163 (#48).
(Inv. #664) C$800
This vol., publ. in March 1863 to welcome Princess
Alexandra of Denmark to England (recently arrived for her marriage to
Prince Albert), includes MacDonald's "The Children's Heaven," D.G.
Rossetti's "Lost Days (Sonnet)," C.G. Rossetti's "Dream Love,"
Allingham's "His Town," as well as works by Anthony Trollope, Charles
Kingsley, Edwin Arnold, etc. It has been suggested that the
binding is by Westleys & Co., but no binder's ticket is present;
& Sadleir surmises that this deluxe binding was "specially prepared
for presentation to members of the Royal Family."
