ALEXANDER'S FEAST, OR, THE POWER OF MUSIC

(VELLUM PRINTING). (ESSEX HOUSE PRESS). DRYDEN, JOHN

Published by Essex House Press, [London], 1904

About this Item

195 x 131 mm. (7 3/4 x 5 1/8"). [1] p.l. (frontispiece), 3-11, [2] pp. Original stiff vellum over thin boards, front cover with embossed rose design. In custom-made linen clamshell box with red morocco label on spine. Hand-colored woodcut frontispiece and final tailpiece, both by Reginald Savage, hand-painted initials in burnished gold, red, blue, or green. Printed in black and red. Front pastedown with red morocco bookplate of William Andrews Clark, Jr.; front endleaves with evidence of bookplate and inscription removal. Tomkinson, p. 76; Ransom, p. 268; Franklin, p. 200. A VERY FINE COPY, clean, bright, and free of the splaying that very frequently afflicts the boards of this work. This is a most appealing example of the luxurious hand-crafted volumes produced under the auspices of the Essex House Press, with our copy coming from the library of a noted Dryden collector. The book is the 11th from the Essex House series of 14 "Great Poems in the English Language," a group of lovely little works all printed on vellum and with delightful colored illustrations and historiated initials. Generally considered to be the best example in English of the choric hymn, the present work is set at a feast given by Alexander the Great, who finds himself entranced by the poet and lyrist Timotheus. The great leader is lost in reveries of exploits and victory, he sighs and cries over battles lost and warriors slain, and he finds inspiration for new conquests. Our printer C. R. Ashbee founded the Essex House Press in 1898 by purchasing the presses and other production equipment (though not the type) formerly owned by the Kelmscott Press, which had shut down at the death of William Morris. Ashbee printed books for 12 years with vellum, ink, and paper identical to that used by Kelmscott in an effort to carry on the tradition Morris had established. But the Essex House Press, because it was conceived of and continued as part of a larger enterprise involving various artisans at work in a group of workshops (at Ashbee's Guild of Handicrafts located at Essex House in London's Mile End Road), always had its own special identity, a fact which Cave reflects when he calls it the "Arts and Crafts press 'par excellence.'" The illustrator here, Reginald Savage (fl. 1886-1904), is deemed by Houfe "a talented and imaginative designer and woodcut artist," and Houfe notes that he was also commended by his fellow illustrator, Walter Crane (1845-1915), for his "weird designs." Former owner William Andrews Clark, Jr. (1877-1934) put together one of the most distinguished collections of English and French literature of his day. He had strong holdings in many areas, but especially in Shakespeare and the other Elizabethans, in Dryden, in Oscar Wilde, and in the French drama. After a fire in his home in 1923, Clark constructed a separate fireproof building to house his collection; in 1926, this library building, with its distinguished collection, was deeded to the University of California and now serves as a prominent center for literary research.

Seller Inventory # ST20796

Bibliographic Details

• Title: ALEXANDER'S FEAST, OR, THE POWER OF MUSIC
• Publisher: Essex House Press, [London]
• Publication Date: 1904
• Edition: No. 1 OF 140 COPIES, all on vellum.
• Seller catalogs:
  • Vellum Printing
  • Private Press