Maud, a Monodrama, by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Kelmscott Press, Hammersmith, 1893

One of Morris’s loveliest title page. A near fine copy of 500 printed on paper from a total edition of 505 copies (5 on vellum).

Description: Original full limp vellum, with cloth ties, titled horizontally in gilt on spine; housed in original green cardboard slipcase lettered in gilt. Octavo: 21 × 15 cm; pp.: [2], 69, [2]; 3 cancellans leaves replacing pp. 15–16, 19–20, 69–[70]. With double page woodcut title and numerous ornaments and initials. Printed from ‘Golden’ type in black and red on Batchelor’s hand-made paper.

Provenance: Bookplate to front pastedown of Hall of Otterburn, Northumberland (i.e. Howard Pease, a wealthy antiquary from the Middleborough area).

Ref.: Sparling 17; Walsdorf 17; Peterson 17

Condition: Volume is near fine, with clean boards, straight corners without rubbing. All four ties completely preserved. Slipcase with chipping to edges, torn at front and spine. No browning to endpapers. Internally quite fine.

Notes: Sparling calls the title page one of Morris’s loveliest (Sparling 1924, 86). The borders were specially designed for this book. Maud was the first of the 8vo books with a woodcut title.