Belfour John Translator (1 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. First Edition. Small octavo. An absolutely complete, pristine copy of John Belfour's celebrated literary fables.Collated perfect: includes the rare half-title page, a crisp black-and-white engraved frontispiece, four pages of preliminary contents, and 164 pages of text interspersed with three further elegant full-page engraved plates. Internally, this copy is exceptional—the handmade paper remains remarkably clean, bright, and completely free of the heavy foxing or staining so common to this era. The book has been given a striking, bespoke modern designer binding by the renowned British typographer and bookbinder, Eric Sweet (former Head of the Birmingham School of Printing). Bound in an avant-garde two-piece style featuring rich half maroon morocco leather over vibrant purple paper-covered boards, finished with a crisp paper title label to the front board. The binding is in fine, immaculate condition. The volume is housed in a custom-built, two-tone archival clamshell box crafted by Sweet, featuring a paper title label to the spine. Affixed to the interior of the box are two highly significant labels that preserve the book's illustrious journey: Sweet's own mark ("Binding by Eric Sweet aet 71 November MM", dating the craft precisely to his 71st year in November 2000), and the authentic, historic library bookplate of Anne and F. G. Renier. The Renier plate was meticulously salvaged and transferred from the deteriorating 1804 endpapers during conservation, anchoring this book to the single most famous historic fable and children's literature collection in British history (now housed in the V&A Museum). A masterclass in book preservation and design history.…