GOLDEN COCKEREL PRESS. STONE, Reynolds. SWINBURNE, Algernon Charles. ~ Lucretia Borgia. The Chronicle of Tebaldeo Tebaldei.
Commentary and note by Randolph Hughes. 7 wood engravings by Reynolds Stone. One of 30 copies on specially watermarked Arnold’s mould-made paper, full bound in full cream morocco with a collotype reproduction of part of Swinburne’s manuscript, this copy no.15. Printed in Poliphilus types.. Sm. folio, original full cream pigskin (although described as morocco in the bibliography), gilt device by Stone at centre of upper cover, spine lettered in gilt, top edge gilt, all others uncut. Spine darkened with a little light rubbing, a little dusty but otherwise a very good crisp copy in the original cream cloth slipcase.
Tipped in at the front is an als from the artist Reynolds Stone during the war (July 1944) from a RAF base near Marlow to the printer and owner of the Golden Cockerel Press, Christopher Sandford. It talks about his distress over the illness of Owen Rutter. He writes “I called to enquire yesterday and to leave a little bookplate block. It is terribley hard for Mrs Rutter”.
“A volume to be esteemed among our best. Work on the text and the commentary and the production of the book took nearly three years” (Pertelote 152).