1856 Rare Book - The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott. Illustrated

Author: Sir Walter Scott. Illustrated by John Gilbert.
Title: The Lady of the Lake. A Poem.
Publisher: Philadelphia, Henry Carey Baird (successor to E.L. Carey), 1856.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 9 x 6 inches.
Pages: 344 pages + publisher's catalog.
Binding: Attractive and very good contemporary full brown morocco leather binding, ornately decorated in blind to covers with gilt-stamped title to front board and spine. Raised bands to spine, with gilt lettering "Lady of the Lake — Illustrated" (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.  All edges gilt. A handsome and solidly bound presentation binding!
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, some expected age-toning, scattered foxing, and some offsetting from the engravings. An old fern, once pressed within the book, has left a delicate offset on two pages; the fern itself has been preserved in an archival clear envelope and remains included with the volume. There is also a stain to the rear of the first endpaper, not affecting the text block (as shown). Ownership inscription to the front endpaper: "Mrs. M.J. White, October 9th, 1862" - as shown). 
Illustrations: Complete with seven steel-engraved illustrations throughout, after designs by John Gilbert. Plates are richly detailed and typical of the mid-19th century American gift-book style.

Estimate: (USD 300– 350).

The book: First published in 1810, The Lady of the Lake became one of Sir Walter Scott’s most enduringly popular poems, set amid the dramatic scenery of the Scottish Highlands. Its tale of love, clan loyalty, and chivalric rivalry—woven with vivid depictions of nature—captured the imagination of the Romantic era and influenced both literature and music. This mid-19th century American edition, published by Henry Carey Baird, was clearly produced as an elegant gift book: lavishly illustrated, beautifully bound, and designed for both reading and presentation. The presence of the fern pressed within the volume adds a unique layer of historical charm, suggesting the Victorian practice of preserving botanical mementos within treasured texts.

The author: Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) was the preeminent Scottish poet and novelist of the Romantic era. Celebrated for works such as Marmion, The Lady of the Lake, and later the Waverley Novels, Scott combined historical depth with a gift for storytelling that helped to shape the modern historical novel. His depictions of Highland life, feudal loyalty, and heroic romance earned him both immense popularity and enduring literary significance.

The illustrator: John Gilbert (1817–1897), a prolific British illustrator, painter, and Royal Academician, was renowned for his dramatic engravings and book illustrations. His work, rich in detail and Romantic intensity, perfectly complemented Scott’s verse. Gilbert’s style was especially popular in the Victorian period, and his interpretations of literary classics helped establish the iconography of Scott’s poems for generations of readers.