ASHENDENE PRESS. ~ I Fioretti del Glorioso Poverello Di Cristo S. Francesco di Assisi.
53 woodcut illustrations by Charles Gere, cut by J.B. Swain. One of 240 copies printed on Batchelor 'hammer and anvil' paper, a further 12 copies were printed on vellum. Printed in Subiaco type in red and black with initials in red and blue designed by Graily Hewitt. 8vo., original limp vellum with green silk ties. An exceptionally good copy.
With a presentation headed post card from Hornby to Professor Linetta de Castelvecchio dated March 1922, the year of publication. Also with an inscription on the front free endpaper in de Castelvecchio’s hand noting the gift from Hornby.
Linetta de Castelvecchio was the Serena Professor of Italian at the University of Birmingham at the time, which explains the gift of this title, and one of the first female professors in Britain - even though the university treated her rather badly, paying her a part-time rate.
An extension of the few Franciscan stories published by the Press in 1904, this complete edition took seven years to produce due to the number of illlustrations which had been paid for before the war. This was the last Ashendene book in Italian and the last to use illustrations by Charles Gere. It is the final demonstration of Hornby's love affair with Italy which had begun when he went travelling after leaving Oxford and before starting work at W.H. Smith.
May Morris wrote to Hornby: "I can't tell you how glad I am to be able to read the grave and simple and tender language in these beautiful pages. I am stroking the book now, when the post waits...".
With the booklabel of the New York book collector Helmut N. Friedlaender.