Italy. A Poem. [First Complete Edition and First Illustrated Edition]. FINE PERIOD BINDING

8vo., First Edition thus, with 55 fine steel-engraved illustrations (two full-page), vignettes, and head-and tail-pieces in the text, some moderate spotting and offsetting as often; most attractively bound in contemporary straight-grain dark green morocco, sides with treble frame border in gilt, back gilt extra with five raised bands, second compartment lettered in gilt, all other compartments richly tooled in gilt to an elaborate floral design, all edges gilt, board edges and doublures ruled in gilt, watered rose-pink silk endpapers, lightly rubbed at joints else a very nice, bright, firm copy in well-preserved period binding. Rogers' well-known collection of verse and prose pieces was first published in two separate parts, in 1822 and 1828, but despite the work's literary merit publication in parts was a relative failure. A remedy was sought with the appearance of this combined edition, including both parts and greatly augmented by a splendid series of engravings from drawings by Stothard and Turner (with one each from Batty, Prout, Titian and Vasari). Care was taken with the engravings (varying from full-page to thumbnail in size) which are of uniformly high standard; it is no surprise to find that no fewer than thirteen different engravers were employed, the list including many of the finest talents of the period: Allen, Cooke, Davenport, Finden, Goodall, Humphrys, Le Keux, Lewis, Pye, Robinson, Rolls, Smith and Wallis. With the appearance of this edition the situation was not merely rescued but transformed into a runaway success, prompting the classic one-liner (attributed to Lady Blessington): 'poor Rogers would have been dished without the plates'. CBEL III, p.164.