Note Books of Percy Bysshe Shelley : From the Originals in the Library of W.K. Bixby [3 vols, complete set ].

Shelley, P.B. ; Forman, H. B. ; Bixby, W.K.

Published by Privately Printed for William K. Bixby, St. Louis, first edition, 1911, 1911

About this Item

Limited edition of 250 copies printed for Bixby. 3 vols, quarter-vellum and boards, 25 cm, xvi, 209, [1] + vii, 187, [1] + vi, 179, [1] pp, several plates. Bixby had bought the three notebooks edited here for some £3000 - he allowed the Bibliophile Society of Boston to publish them (in an edition of 465 copies) with a further 250 copies (as here) printed for himself. John Collins in 'The Two Forgers' notes that the books are "a triumph of [Harry Buxton] Forman's patient and dedicated editing" - the originals are chaotic as described here "Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish and English are all mixed up together, and lines in one language often apear written directly or diagonally across other lines written in another language". Collins also notes that the books include a reminder of the "Mr Hyde side of Forman": the frontispiece 'portrait of Shelley' is in fact an unacknowledged copy of the Leonardo da Vinci head of Christ, with slight alterations: "This confection was commissioned by Forman.presumably in silent mockery of the whole Shelley cult. The fraud was not published until 1947". Volume I has a signed presentation inscription from the publisher to Robert Underwood Johnson "with regards of W.K. Bixby, St. Louis, 11/14/11" and this volume is also numbered 164 and initialled by Bixby. Johnson was a founding member of the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association. His bookplate is present on the front pastedown endpaper of each volume. Vellum a little fingersoiled, contents with foxing throughout. Seller Inventory # ABE-58960

Bibliographic Details

Title: Note Books of Percy Bysshe Shelley : From ...

Publisher: Privately Printed for William K. Bixby, St. Louis, first edition, 1911

Publication Date: 1911

Binding: Hardcover

Edition: 1st Edition