The History of Godefrey of Boloyne and of the Conquest of Iherusalem.

Kelmscott Press, Hammersmith, 1893

The most over-decorated of the Kelmscott books, surpassing in this respect even the ‘Chaucer’ (Peterson 1991, 141). One of 300 copies printed on paper from a total edition of 306.

Description: Original full limp vellum, with yapped fore-edges and cloth ties. Titled horizontally in gilt on spine. Quarto: 29 × 21 cm; pp.: xxii, [i], [1], 450, [2]. With double page woodcut title and numerous ornaments and initials. Printed from ‘Troy’ type, list of chapter headings and glossary in ‘Chaucer’ type. Printed in black and red on Batchelor handmade paper.

Provenance: Small bookplate of Wilfred Merton to upper pastedown. Wilfred Merton (1888–1957) was a passionate collector of books and manuscripts (The Merton Papyri) and publisher of books (Homer’s Odyssey, 1932, in translation by T.E. Lawrence, with Bruce Rogers and Emery Walker). Merton was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1938.

Ref.: Sparling 15; Walsdorf 15; Peterson 15

Condition: Front cover shows a few naturally occurring variations in the surface colour of the vellum, slight bow to front board (as often); only two of the six ties are preserved. Internally bright and clean, no browning to endpapers.

Notes: This is the fifth and last of the Caxton reprints, and the first book published and sold at the Kelmscott Press. lt also contains a new printer’s mark after the colophon, followed by the words “Sold by William Morris, at the Kelmscott Press.” (Walsdorf 1983, 29). Reprinted from Caxton’s edition of 1481. Edited by H. Halliday Sparling.