The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. [Fore-edge Painting].

SHELLEY, Percy Bysshe. Edited by Thomas Hutchinson.

Item Number: 122900

London: Oxford University Press, n.d..

Finely bound example of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s complete poetical works. Octavo, elaborately bound in full morocco by Riviere & Son with gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, gilt morocco inlays and elaborate gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt with a fore-edge painting of Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley, tissue-guarded engraved frontispiece portrait. In near fine condition.

The first known example of a disappearing fore-edge painting (where the painting is not visible when the book is closed) dates back to 1649. Around 1750, the subject matter of fore-edge paintings changed from simply decorative or heraldic designs to landscapes, portraits and religious scenes, usually painted in full color. The technique was popularized in the 18th century by John Brindley (1732-1756), publisher and bookbinder to the Prince of Wales and Edwards of Halifax, a distinguished family of bookbinders and booksellers. The majority of extant examples of fore-edge paintings date to the late 19th and early 20th century on reproductions of books originally published in the early 19th century, including the present volume.