Thomas Gray — Poems

Eton, Printed at the Eton College Press, 1894. Leather. A full calf Eton prize binding of poems and translations by Thomas Gray, who once turned down the position of Poet Laureate. A collection of poems in full calf Eton prize binding. With binder's stamp to front blank: R. Ingalton Drake. Decorated with gilt dentelles, gilt board edges and extremities, gilt motifs to boards and gilt tooling to spine.  Also featuring full gilt text block edges, and gilt and marbled endpapers. Featuring a monochrome frontispiece and three further unlisted monochrome plates. Collated from a copy held by the British Library, complete. Includes the poem 'Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College&apos. Also included are a selection of translated poems, such as in the Poemata , which displays poems in Latin, and in later passages of the work, which offer verse translated from Greek into Latin. With a prize presentation bookplate. A portrait of the recipient, whose name is written here as Mauricio Vyner Brett, is held by the National Trust. Bound in full calf prize binding. Externally, generally smart. Moderate rubbing and bumping to extremities. Mild marks to boards. Small tide marks to front board. Spine label detached, and slotted into front endpapers. Hinges very slightly starting, but boards firm. Internally, firmly bound. Pages generally bright and clean, with the odd spot and minor handling mark. Moderate dusting to text block top edge. Ink inscription to prize giving page. Moderate age toning to title page. Good . Ill.: Not Stated. Good .