1900 Rare Book bound by Bayntun - The Phaedrus, Lysis, and Protagoras of Plato

Author: Plato. Translated by J. Wright.
Title: The Phaedrus, Lysis, and Protagoras of Plato.
Publisher: London, Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1900.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 6 x 4 inches. 
Pages: 272 pages. 
Binding: Attractive and very good Fine Arts and Crafts–style full green morocco leather binding by Bayntun, richly gilt. Both covers are elaborately tooled with a symmetrical geometric and floral design composed of small gilt rosettes and stylized crowned motifs arranged around a central circular medallion. Spine with raised bands, gilt tooling, and gilt lettering. Gilt dentelles. Marbled endpapers in blue, grey, and cream tones. Binder’s ticket to the lower turn-in: Bayntun, Binder, Bath, Eng. (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover.  All edges gilt. Overall a particularly handsome and well-preserved binding.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing mainly on the preliminary pages upper edge - as shown). 
Illustrations: Engraved oval vignette on the title page depicting two classical profiles. No other illustrations.

Estimate: (USD 600 –1000).

The book: This volume brings together three of Plato’s most important dialogues—Phaedrus, Lysis, and Protagoras—in a careful English translation by J. Wright, first issued for Macmillan in 1888 and here in the 1900 reprint. These dialogues explore rhetoric, love, friendship, virtue, and the nature of wisdom, forming a cornerstone of Western philosophical literature. In this copy, the intellectual weight of the text is matched by an exceptional Arts and Crafts binding, transforming the book into both a scholarly and aesthetic object.

The author: Plato, a student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, stands at the foundation of Western philosophy. His dialogues shaped enduring debates on ethics, metaphysics, politics, and the philosophy of language. Works such as Phaedrus and Protagoras are equally valued for their philosophical depth and their literary and dramatic qualities.

The binding: Bayntun of Bath is among the most respected English binderies, renowned for high-quality materials, precise gilt tooling, and refined Arts and Crafts designs. The harmonious geometry, repeated crowned motifs, and delicate pointillé work seen here are characteristic of Bayntun’s finest period bindings, often produced for private collectors. Such signed Bayntun bindings are increasingly sought after for their combination of craftsmanship and understated elegance.