1897 Rare Book bound by Zaehnsdorf - On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History by Carlyle.

 

Author: Thomas Carlyle.
Title: On Heroes, Hero-Worship and The Heroic in History.
Language: Text in English.
Publisher: London, A.C. McClurg and Company, 1897.
Size: 7 " X 4.5 ".
Pages: 286 pages.
Binding: Very good, near fine full morocco leather binding finely bound by Zaehnsdorf for A. C. McClurg with the wavy gilt rule on cover, gilt-decorated spine in 6 compartments, gilt-lettered in a green morocco label (hinges fine, overall slightly scuffed - as shown)  under a removable protective mylar cover. A beautiful binding
Content: Very good, near fine content (bright, tight, and clean). Upper edge gilt.

The book: Attractive edition beautifully bound by Zaehnsdorf for Mcclurg of On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and The Heroic in History -- a book by Thomas Carlyle, published by James Fraser, London, in 1841. It is a collection of six lectures given in May 1840 about prominent historical figures. It lays out Carlyle's belief in the importance of heroic leadership.

Including:
1. The Hero as Divinity. Odin. Paganism: Scandinavian Mythology
2. The Hero as Prophet. Muhammad: Islam
3. The Hero as Poet. Dante; Shakespeare
4. The Hero as Priest. Luther; Reformation: Knox; Puritanism
5. The Hero as Man of Letters. Johnson, Rousseau, Burns
6. The Hero as King. Cromwell. Napoleon: Modern Revolutionism

The author:  Thomas Carlyle (4 December 1795 – 5 February 1881) was a Scottish historian, satirical writer, essayist, translator, philosopher, mathematician, and teacher. In his book On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and The Heroic in History (1841), he argued that the actions of the "Great Man" play a key role in history, claiming that "the history of the world is but the biography of great men". 

The binder: The famous bookbinding firm of Zaehnsdorf was founded in London in 1842 by Joseph Zaehnsdorf (1816-1886), an Austro-Hungarian craftsman-binder who learned his trade in Stuttgart and Vienna. While he was very successful, becoming ‘Bookbinder to the King of Hanover’ by 1861, it was under his son Joseph William Zaehnsdorf (1853-1930) that the firm was able to develop further and prosper. Joseph William did much to make known the principles of sound binding practice, and to increase the appreciation and knowledge of fine binding. He was the author of The art of bookbinding (1880) which became a standard textbook for apprentices, and he wrote a series of articles on amateur bookbinding in which he stated that the finishing or decorative side of bookbinding caused the most difficulty for the amateur. The firm was known for its high-quality workmanship and excelled in the retrospective binding popular in the 19th century. The firm’s most skilled craftsmen were reserved for the higher-quality work sometimes working from their own designs, and sometimes from designs produced by professional designers, both constructing their patterns from existing styles. This firm was at its height from the 1890s until the First World War, and it is during this period that Alexander Turnbull had many of his books bound.