The Story of Rosina and Other Verses - Austin Dobson - Hugh Thomson - First Edition 1895

A richly illustrated first edition of The Story of Rosina and Other Verses by the English poet Austin Dobson, published in London in 1895 and featuring the characteristic illustrations of Hugh Thomson.

This late-Victorian edition is bound in the original burgundy publisher's cloth, with a particularly extensive gilt-stamped scene on the front board and further gilt decoration on the spine. The binding design is typical of the decorative book production for which Thomson became known at the end of the 19th century. The gilt top edge and the originally uncut fore and tail edges have also been preserved.

The book is richly adorned with Thomson's refined pen-and-ink illustrations. His drawings carry the reader into the elegant, idealized world of the 18th century that is also central to Dobson's poetry. Thomson grew to become one of the best-known British book illustrators of his generation and later illustrated the works of others, including Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and J.M. Barrie.

The copy is in good to very good antiquarian condition. The original binding is firm and the extensive gilt decoration has been remarkably well preserved. The text block is firm, with some visible separation between a few gatherings. Otherwise, there is light wear to the corners and spine, scattered foxing and normal signs of age.

Details

• Author: Austin Dobson (1840-1921)
• Title: The Story of Rosina and Other Verses
• Illustrator: Hugh Thomson (1860-1920)
• Publisher: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.
• Place of publication: London
• Year: 1895
• Edition: first edition
• Printer: Ballantyne, Hanson & Co., Edinburgh and London
• Language: English
• Extent: 120 numbered pages plus front matter and illustration plates
• Illustrations: richly illustrated with drawings by Hugh Thomson
• Binding: original burgundy pictorial publisher's cloth binding
• Decoration: extensive gilt stamping on front board and spine
• Edges: gilt top edge, fore and tail edges uncut
• Dimensions: approx. 19.5 × 13.5 cm
• Thickness: approx. 2.5 cm
• Period: late-Victorian
• Origin: United Kingdom
• Particularity: old bookshop label of F. & W. Dodsworth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
• Condition: good to very good antiquarian condition, with light wear, scattered foxing, slight cockling and some separation between a few gatherings