1838 Lalla Rookh by Thomas Moore - Fine Binding Signed by Riviere & Sons

Description: Lalla Rookh, An Oriental Romance. By Thomas Moore. Nineteenth Edition. Illustrated with Engravings from Drawings by Eminent Artists under the Superintendence of Mr. Charles Heath. London: Printed for Longman, Rome, Brown, Green, & Longmans, 1838. Fine red moroccan leather binding, singed on front paste-down by binder Riviere & Sons, all plates present and intact, 397 pp, 9.25 x 6", 8vo. In fair condition. Moroccan leather boards scuffed at edges & worn at corners. Vine-like outer bordering on boards is soiled, but still presents well. Intricate gilt work features Cambridge-like detailing encompassing a tear-drop center surrounded by flowers and swirling lines with "Moore's Lalla Rookh 1838" centered in the middle of boards in gilt. Two different types of flower gilt-work designs featured in compartments of spine. Front hinge is worn & beginning to split, needs some light restoration. Head and tail of spine rubbed, but intact. All edges gilt. Binder's signature found on front paste-down - bottom edge. Gift inscription found on front end-page, in pencil. Off-setting around edges of front and rear end-pages from leather edges on paste-downs. Toning throughout text-block, especially around edges. Tissue guards exhibit some off-setting from plates. Binding is intact - front hinge fragile. Please see photos and ask questions, if any, before purchasing. Lalla Rookh is an Oriental romance by Irish poet Thomas Moore (1779-1852), first published in 1817. The title is taken from the name of the heroine of the frame tale, the (fictional) daughter of the 17th-century Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The name Lalla Rookh or Lala-Rukh means "tulip-cheeked" and is an endearment frequently used in Persian poetry. Tulips were first cultivated in Persia, probably in the 10th century, and remain a powerful symbol in Iranian culture. Moore set his poem in a sumptuous oriental setting on the advice of Lord Byron. The bulk of the work consists of four interpolated tales sung by the poet: The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan, Paradise and the Peri, The Fire-Worshippers, and The Light of the Harem. Riviere & Sons began in 1829 with Robert Riviere (1808-1882) setting up in business in Bath as a bookseller and later as a bookbinder. Robert was descended from a French family, who left their country on the revocation of the edict of Nantes. His father, Daniel Valentine Riviere (1780-1882), who was a drawing master of considerable celebrity and a gold medallist of the Royal Academy, married, in 1800, Henrietta Thunder, by whom he had a family of five sons and six daughters. Robert was the second son born into Daniel & Henrietta's family. In 1840, he moved to London where the firm traded at a series of addresses. The excellent workmanship and good taste displayed in his bindings gradually won for them the appreciation of connoisseurs, and he was largely employed by the Duke of Devonshire, Samuel Christie-Miller, Captain Francis Capper Brooke, and other great collectors. He also bound for the queen and the royal family. Robert's grandson Percival Calkin became a partner in 1881, and the firm's name was changed to Robert Riviere & Sons. Percival's younger brother, Arthur, became a partner in 1889 & Arthur's son Stuart Riviere Calkin entered the business in 1908 and was with the firm when it closed in 1939. Riviere bindings may be dated approximately by the stamped signature inside the front covers: Bound by R. Riviere, Bath means 1829-32; Bound by R. Riviere means 1832-40; Bound by Riviere means 1840- c. 1860; Bound by Riviere & Son means after 1880. Incredibly intricate and beautiful binding. Gift quality. RAREB1838KSTB02/24 - HK1227

Price: 1000 USD

Location: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2025-01-19T21:18:45.000Z

Shipping Cost: 8.38 USD