1859 Rare Book - The Faerie Queene Illustrated by Edward Corbould
Author: Edmund Spenser. Illustrated by Edward Corbould.
Title: The Faerie Queene: Disposed into Twelve Bookes, Fashioning XII. Morall Vertues. To Which Is Added His Epithalamion.
Publisher: London, Routledge, Warnes, and Routledge; New York, 18 Beekman Street, 1859.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 6.5 x 4.5 inches.
Pages: xii, 820 pages.
Binding: Very good and scarce original publisher's red pebble-grain cloth binding, elaborately decorated in gilt on the spine and front cover, featuring an attractive allegorical figure and ornate Victorian ornamentation. All edges gilt. Endpapers and inner hinges worn as shown, but binding remains sound and tight. A notably attractive example of a rarely encountered publisher's binding. Protected in a removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content. Text pages exceptionally clean and remarkably fresh throughout. Complete. Light staining to the outer margins of the inserted full-page illustrations, a common occurrence caused by the different paper stock used for the plates, not affecting the images themselves. Overall an unusually well-preserved copy.
Illustrations: Complete with 8 full-page illustrations by Edward Corbould, finely engraved and printed on separate paper stock. An appealing illustrated Victorian edition of Spenser's masterpiece.
Estimate: (USD 300–350).
The book: The Faerie Queene stands among the greatest achievements of English Renaissance literature and remains one of the most ambitious epic poems ever written in the English language. Conceived by Edmund Spenser as a vast allegorical work celebrating moral virtue, chivalry, and the ideals of the Elizabethan age, the poem follows a series of knights whose adventures embody qualities such as holiness, temperance, chastity, friendship, justice, and courtesy. Rich in symbolism, mythology, romance, and imaginative invention, the work exerted a profound influence on later generations of writers, including John Milton, William Blake, Alfred Tennyson, and J.R.R. Tolkien. This compact Victorian edition made Spenser's monumental poem accessible to a broader readership while enhancing its appeal through handsome illustrations and an unusually decorative gift-book binding. Copies in this elaborate gilt cloth binding, particularly with bright gilt and gilt edges preserved, are increasingly difficult to locate in such appealing condition.
The author: Edmund Spenser (c. 1552–1599) is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in English literary history. Often called "the Poet's Poet," Spenser transformed English verse through his mastery of language, imagery, and allegory. His enduring reputation rests chiefly upon The Faerie Queene, a work dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I and intended to rival the classical epics of antiquity. Spenser's influence extended across centuries, shaping the development of English poetry from the Renaissance through the Romantic and Victorian periods.
The illustrator: Edward Corbould (1815–1905) was a distinguished Victorian artist and illustrator known for his historical, literary, and medieval subjects. A member of a celebrated artistic family, Corbould became particularly admired for his interpretations of classic English literature and Arthurian themes. His illustrations for The Faerie Queene capture the romantic and chivalric spirit of Spenser's epic, bringing visual life to its knights, allegorical figures, and enchanted landscapes while reflecting the Victorian fascination with medieval revivalism.