RATHBONE, Hannah Mary

The Diary of Lady Willoughby

London, Imprinted for Longman, Brown, Green, & Longmans, 1845

£125.00

Large 12mo (counted 4to) pp 220. Embossed, maroon full publishers presentation binding, signed Hayday, with small inscribed vellum panels on both boards, three sided gilt and tooled edges. Updike II p. 199 + fig 339. Fictitious novel by Hannah Mary Rathbone (1798-1878) second edition, the first edition having appeared in 1844 in similar typographical make-up. A book famous in printing history for reviving the Caslon Old Face font, and signalling the end of an era dominated by lean and ugly Modern Face characters in English books. The chief typographic event of the mid-nineteenth century (D.B. Updike, Printing Types, 3rd ed., 1952). The first edition is set in Caslon 16 pt, this second edition is re-set in 14 pt. but retains all the typographic features that created the importance of this pastiche on late 17th century layout. A very nice copy.

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