Details
BURTON, Richard Francis. The Book of the Sword. London: Chatto and Windus, 1884.
8° (279 x 200mm). Wood-engraved vignettes throughout. Original grey cloth, spine lettered and decorated in gilt and brown, upper cover and decorated with crossed swords and arabesques.
VERY RARE FIRST EDITION IN FINE CONDITION, intended by Burton as the first of a three-volume work. 'The history of the Sword is the history of humanity,' he wrote, but his book 'fell still-born on the public' and his manuscript notes were so incomplete at his death that no publisher would take on the job of the subsequent volumes. The many hundred pages of his notes, letters and material for these are with his personal library. He had worked on the book from the erly 1870's get it published until 1884. Penzer 107-112. Casada 27.
8° (279 x 200mm). Wood-engraved vignettes throughout. Original grey cloth, spine lettered and decorated in gilt and brown, upper cover and decorated with crossed swords and arabesques.
VERY RARE FIRST EDITION IN FINE CONDITION, intended by Burton as the first of a three-volume work. 'The history of the Sword is the history of humanity,' he wrote, but his book 'fell still-born on the public' and his manuscript notes were so incomplete at his death that no publisher would take on the job of the subsequent volumes. The many hundred pages of his notes, letters and material for these are with his personal library. He had worked on the book from the erly 1870's get it published until 1884. Penzer 107-112. Casada 27.
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