The Ring and The Book.

BROWNING, Robert.

$6,800.00

Item Number: 147757

London: Smith, Elder, & Co, 1869.

First edition of Robert Browning’s greatest work. Octodecimo, four volumes, contemporary tree calf bound in full morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spines in six compartments within gilt raised bands, gilt ruling to boards, marbled endpapers, all edges marbled. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the second free endpaper, “Robert Browning wishes he had been privileged to give this work to his friends. Nov. 30. ’75.” The recipient, George Craik was a partner in Macmillan and Co., who married the author Dinah Maria Mulock in 1864. Mullock was a friend and correspondent of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and dedicated her novel ‘The Head of the Family’ to Elizabeth. In very good condition with rubbing to the extremities, splitting to the hinges of volume four, and skillful rebacking to preserve the original spines of each volume. From the library of noted collector William A. Strutz with his small bookplate to the pastedown, with an additional ownership plate from George Lillie Craik. Housed in a custom folding chemise and half morocco slipcase.

Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humor, social commentary, historical settings and challenging vocabulary and syntax. His career began well – the long poems Pauline (1833) and Paracelsus (1835) were acclaimed – but his reputation fell back for a time – his 1840 poem Sordello was seen as wilfully obscure – and took over a decade to recover, by which time he had moved from Shelleyan forms to a more personal style. In 1846 Browning married fellow poet Elizabeth Barrett and moved to Italy. By her death in 1861 he had published the collection Men and Women (1855). His Dramatis Personae (1864) and book-length epic poem The Ring and the Book made him a leading poet.