Antique 1901 Poetry Book The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray

A handsome 1901 edition of The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray, bound in deep blue full leather with bright gilt tooling and a gilt school crest on the front cover. Published by George Bell and Sons, this compact prize binding includes Gray’s best-known poems, an engraved portrait frontispiece, marbled endpapers, gilt dentelles, and all edges gilt. A strong choice for collectors of antique poetry, leather bindings, and English school prize books.

[d]Author | Thomas Gray [d]Editor | John Bradshaw [d]Title | The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray [d]Publisher | George Bell and Sons [d]Date | 1901 [d]Binding | Full blue leather with gilt school crest, gilt tooling, and gilt dentelles [d]Dimensions | 6.75 in H x 4.5 in W x 1 in D [d]Language | English [d]Origin | England [d]Edition | Prize binding edition [d]Pages | Illustrated with steel-engraved portrait frontispiece; facsimile signature [d]Features | All edges gilt, marbled endpapers

[condition] The full blue leather retains strong color and bright gilt detailing throughout, with only light rubbing to the corners and spine ends. The hinges are secure and the spine is firm. The marbled endpapers are clean and vivid, and the gilt page edges remain shiny with minor surface wear only. Interior pages show gentle age toning consistent with a book of this period but are clean, crisp, and free of significant foxing, tears, or annotations. The engraved frontispiece is sharp and well preserved. A very good example of an early twentieth-century prize binding that has been well cared for.