Beschreibung:

GOETHE, Johann Wolfgang von. Faust, eine Tragödie. Hammersmith: T.J.Cobden-Sanderson & Emery Walker at the Doves Press, 1906-1910. 2 volumes, 4° (229 x 160mm). PRINTED ON VELLUM. Printed in red and black, the large black capitals designed by Edward Johnston and cut by Eric Gill BINDINGS DESIGNED BY T.J.COBDEN-SANDERSON and bound by the Doves Bindery in 1911, blue crushed levant morocco, the covers tooled with a complex design of interlinking circles, flowerheads and roundels all within a double-fillet border, the spines in six compartments with raised bands and head and tail-bands, lettered in two compartments, the others with a repeat pattern using similar motifs to the covers, gilt turn-ins, vellum doublures and endleaves, g.e., signed on the rear turn-ins: The Doves Bindery 19 C.S. 11 (joints slightly rubbed), the two volumes within a single cloth slipcase. Provenance : Paul Hirsch. ONE OF THE GREATEST MODERN PRESS BOOKS IN ITS MOST DESIRABLE STATE: ONE OF 25 COPIES PRINTED ON VELLUM. Paul Hirsch of Frankfurt (and later Cambridge) commissioned the bindings in 1910: also included with the lot are a number of related manuscript and other ephemeral items, including: a) a 2pp, 8°, a.l.s. from Cobden-Sanderson to Hirsch, dated December 28, 1910, offering to bind the two volumes for ¨35, enclosing a rubbing of the cover of his own copy of vol.I of the Faust and promising a similar design; b) the rubbing referred to in the letter; c) a second letter from Cobden-Sanderson, dated May 8, 1911, with a progress report on these and another binding commissioned by Hirsch; d) the letterpress and manuscript bill for ¨35 for the binding, with an initialled 4-line thank-you note from Cobden-Sanderson, dated July 19, 1911. (2)