The Life of Arthur Duke of Wellington.

GLEIG, G. R. [Arthur James Balfour].

$1,250.00

Item Number: 117318

London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green, 1864.

The People’s Edition of Gleig’s biography of Arthur Duke of Wellington; gifted by his godson, Arthur James Balfour to his colleague at Eton. Octavo, bound in full contemporary calf with red morocco spine label lettered in gilt, elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt, frontispiece portrait of Wellington. Presentation copy, inscribed by Arthur James Balfour on the front free endpaper, “Stamford Raffles Flint with the best wishes of Arthur James Balfour on his leaving Eton Election 1864.” The recipient, Stamford Raffles Flint, was a colleague of Balfour’s at Eton who went on to become the Archdeacon of Cornwall. Tipped in a printed single leaf from the Old Etonians Association about a proposed portrait of Balfour for School Hall dated July, 1917. In very good condition.

Arthur James Balfour was born of an ancient Scottish family and was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. He was later First Lord of the Admiralty in Asquith's coalition government in the first World War, and foreign Minister under Lloyd George (1916-1919). As Foreign Secretary in the Lloyd George ministry, he issued the Balfour Declaration in 1917 on behalf of the cabinet promising support for a Jewish National home in Palestine.