Edwin Beresford Chancellor — Historical Richmond

London, George Bell and Sons, 1885. First edition. Cloth. A first edition copy of Edwin Beresford Chancellor's first work 'Historical Richmond', published when the author was only seventeen years old. This copy is not a Subscriber's Edition Copy; it is lacking the four-page subscriber's list to the front of the text. A fascinating historical study of the town where Chancellor was born, widely praised for its extensive research and coherent style. This is however all the more impressive considering that Chancellor, being only seventeen years of age at the time of writing, he had been prevented from examining the printed books in the British Museum, which was closed to students under the age of twenty one. He hence had to rely on 'the kindness of professor Sir Richard Owen' to examine the desired manuscripts. Collated, complete with twelve monochromatic plates. In the publisher's original cloth binding with gilt crest to front board. Externally, bumped to extremities. Bumping to extremities and head and tail of spine resulting in small splits to cloth. Slight rubbing to joints, with cloth to tail of rear joint split. Slight offsetting to endpapers. Internally firmly bound, slightly strained in places. Page age toned to edges but generally bright and clea, with the odd spot. The odd handling mark to the occasional page. Label tipped to title page. The odd pencil inscription by prior owner to occasional page. Very Good . Ill.: Various. Very Good .