A Superb Set of Sir Walter Scott's Waverley's Novels Complete in 48 Riviere Bound Books Dated 1892-1894

Sir Walter Scott, the Scottish novelist and poet (1771-1832), is considered by many as having established the historical novel genre with his works set in various centuries although focusing predominately on the 17th and 18th centuries. This complete set is the Border Edition dedicated by the publisher to Scott’s great-granddaughter The Hon. Mrs Maxwell Scott of Abbotsford and her children. This edition was published between 1892-1894 by John C Nimmo of London, printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co of Edinburgh, except the tissue guarded etchings which were printed by F Goulding of London and the introductory essays and notes are by Scott’s biographer Andrew Lang.

The books were retailed by one of London’s oldest bookseller’s, Henry Sotheran, founded in York in 1761 and established in London in 1815, and bound by the highly regarded Riviere & Sons. They are uniformly half bound in polished midnight blue morocco leather with the boards in a complimentary peacock blue cloth. The spines are arranged in 6 equal sections by 5 raised bands with 2 sections containing the titles in gilt and the remainder decorated with a gilt thistle, the emblem of Scotland. In addition the top edges are also in gilt and the end papers are marbled with the front paste-down bearing the book plate of Arthur Lionel Woodhouse with the coat of arms carrying the Latin motto ‘Virtus in Arduis’ - Virtue in Difficulties. An Arthur Lionel Woodhouse is recorded as having been born in The Hall, Runcorn, Cheshire in June 1866 and passing away 70 years later at Scapa, Little Baddow, Essex.

This fine and smart set is presented in excellent antiquarian condition with very little discernible sun fading to the spines with the leather retaining both its richness and brightness. There is a little shelf wear generally in the form of a few small bumps to the extremities of bottom corners only and some minor signs of the start partial cracking only to a handful of joints – all are holding firm. There is some light foxing concentrated to the preliminary blank pages, half titles and fore-edges, otherwise the pages are clean, undamaged and tightly bound.

Each volume has a height of 20.5cms, a maximum depth of 14.25cms and the set has an impressive shelf coverage of some 1.68 metres.

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