COWLEY, ABRAHAM Anacreon. Done into English out of the original Greek London: The Nonesuch Press, 1923.
Tall thin 8vo., vellum-backed gold paper-covered boards, backstrip lettereds in gilt; outer edges untrimmed; pp. [xxiii], 2-52, [vi]; with title page and a further six copperplate engravings by Stephen Gooden, including one head and one tail piece, all behind mounted tissue-guards; boards a little rubbed and darkened to extremities; tissue-guards a little browned, but otherwise a very good to near-fine example; together with a portion of the original fragile original dust jacket, torn in two but present, seldom found.
Limited to 725 copies, this no.279. Also comes complete with 2 TLS and 2 ALS from Gooden, all addressed to 'Walter' (Walter R. Thomas). In them,, he describes elements of his printing process: "Herewith two proofs. Forgive my delay, but I had to press them before sending…"; "I have found you two more proofs - my last!"; "I wanted you to see the prints, as I should like you to suggest a price…". Addressed to him at the beginning of the war, Gooden speaks about the 'trying times' in which they are living. He also refers twice to the 'Omar' - his illustrations to the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, published in 1940, and The Fables of La Jean de la Fontaine, published in 1931.
Including full-page engravings of Cupid, Bathyllus, Europa, & Venus, and a tail-piece to the final Ode, Anacreon was Gooden's first illustrated book, which Francis Meynell (designer and printer at the Nonesuch Press) considered to be his finest.
A lovely copy with interesting associative letters.
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