Title: Christmas with the Poets: A Collection of Songs, Carols and Descriptive Verses, Relating to the Festival of Christmas. From the Anglo-Norman Period to the Present Time.
Illustrator: Embellished with Fifty-Three Tinted Illustrations by Birket Foster, and with initial letters and other ornaments.
Publisher: Ward, Lock & Tyler: London.
Published Date: 1872; 6th Edition.
Pagination: pp.202
Condition: Very good.
This book is finely bound in the original publisher's green cloth, lavishly embellished with red and gold decoration to the front cover and gilt lettering to the spine. The bevelled edge boards are in very good condition with some light bumping to the head and tail of the spine and some rubbing/bumping to the corners. The gilt is beautifully vibrant and bright. The contents are very lightly age toned in places, but otherwise clean and bright. There are cracks to the hinge in places with two loose pages to the rear of the book which are sitting neatly in place and four loose pages at the front of the book - also sitting neatly in place. Elsewhere the binding is firm. All edges gilt. A stunning example of a Victorian gift book.
The following information is taken from a page owned by the Special Collections department at Glasgow University:
"The poems are presented chronologically. The six divisions of the book deal with carols from the Anglo-Norman period to the time of the Reformation; poems of the Elizabethan era; poems by Herrick relating to the Christmas festival; Christmas songs and carols of the time of the Civil wars, the Commonwealth and the Restoration; Christmas verses of the Eighteenth Century; and, finally, Christmas verses of the Nineteenth Century - contemporary literature to the book's original readers. As well as bringing together over 100 poems, carols and songs, an interesting commentary supplies background details on the historical context and textual sources of the works. In discussing subjects such as Boar's Head Carols, Christmas superstitions, the decking of houses with holly and ivy, the Lord of Misrule, and wassailing fruit trees, the book therefore also provides information about changing Christmas customs in Britain over the centuries.
Henry Vizetelly (1820-1894) was responsible for both editing Christmas with the Poets and for engraving its illustrations. He was a well known engraver, printer and publisher; between 1850 and 1854 most of his time was devoted to the production of illustrated books, of which this is generally regarded to be the finest. He was also involved in the creation of several successful illustrated periodicals - most notably, The Illustrated London News, launched in 1842. After stints as its correspondent in Paris and Berlin, he established a publishing house in London, specialising in translations of French and Russian authors."
With thanks to the page owners for such detailed information. Should you wish to know more, please go to: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/library/files/special/exhibns/month/dec2004.html