1881 AYTOUN: SCOTTISH CAVALIERS Leather ILLUS Sgd Bdg

LAYS
Of The
SCOTTISH CAVALIERS

AND OTHER POEMS

By
William Edmondstoune AYTOUN

With ILLUSTRATIONS

Edinburgh & London: William Blackwood and Sons

MDCCCLXXXI

• Quarto (9.75 x 7.5)
• Full original leather:
• Inlay-ed & gilt-stamped
• Spine decorated gilt
• Six spine compartments
• Gilt-stamped dentelles
• All edges gilt
• Illustrated
• SIGNED BINDING
• FIRST EDITION THUS
  

Magnificently appointed volume of 'Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers and Other Poems' - a set of Jacobite ballads that achieved wide popularity  - by WILLIAM EDMONDSTOUNE AYTOUN, (1813-1865); Scottish critic and poet whose opus mainly included the subjects related to his native land. 

The volume remains in excellent condition, with only a slight age wear present. The binding is very tight; the hinges are undamaged. Leather shows few light surface scrapes, else whole and supple. Delicate border inlays to both boards, displaying the Scottish patterns and colours, embellished with gilt-stamped fleur-de-lis design to boards and spine, plus a crown lion logo to the front board. Gilt remains bright and fresh. Internally complete and generally clean, with occasional light spotting to pages, mainly to preliminaries and to the title page. Calligraphic dedication to the upper corner of ffep, dated 1896. Illustrated throughout. Bound and signed by Ramage, London. Overall a rare and splendid copy, way more attractive in person due to difficulty to capture the red tone digitally; it is a rich, deep red tone, contrasted with green and gold inlays.

* * * *

"Give me but one hour of Scotland,
Let me see it ere I die."

(Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers--Charles Edward at Versailles; l. 111)