The Golden Legend
New York: Hodder & Stoughton / George H. Doran, [1910]. With twenty-five full-color tipped-in illustrations (including frontis) by Sidney H. Meteyard. First American edition, first printing. Publisher's tan cloth, decoratively gilt and stamped blind. Quarto. viii, 153pp. 10" x 7.5" Very mild shelf wear and few tiny spots of soiling, overall a very near fine copy, in good to very good toned, edge worn, and reinforced publisher's illustrated box, missing lower edge of lid. Item #240047
A PRE-RAPHAELITE VISION OF LONGFELLOW'S MEDIEVAL LEGEND
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Golden Legend—a dramatic rendering of a legendary medieval miracle story—is among the most evocative works of nineteenth-century American poetry. Drawing on Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda Aurea, Longfellow weaves together medieval Christian legends, focusing on themes of redemption, sacrifice, and the struggle between good and evil.
Originally published in 1851, it is here presented in a handsome Hodder & Stoughton edition, illustrated with twenty-five full-color tipped-in plates by Pre-Raphaelite–influenced artist Sidney Meteyard. His jewel-like compositions perfectly complement the poem’s magical medievalism. Produced at the height of the Edwardian gift-book tradition, this edition exemplifies the era's devotion to rich illustration and remains one of the most visually striking editions of Longfellow's poem.
Price: $650.00