Richard Goulburn Lovell — Home Interiors

London, Caxton Publishing Company, 1913-1915. First edition. Cloth. The very scarce first edition of Lovell's authoritative guide to home decoration and design in the 1910s. Published in five parts, and illustrated with thirty colour plates. The very scarce first edition of early twentieth century interior designer Richard Goulburn Lovell's 'practical work on colour, decoration, and furnishing', described in the introduction as a work 'intended to extend to all those whose business or profession contributes in any way to the interior of the home&apos.The work, 'prepared expressly with the object of being an authoritative guide to decorators and upholsterers, drapers, designers and all those professions dealing with colour and colour-selection' is divided into five sections, with each section containing instructions for the decoration of three rooms, and with each room accompanied by a description, two watercolour plates, and either one or two plans.Section I, illustrated with three 'Composition of Colour' charts, six facsimile watercolour plates, six plans, and three volvelles. Collated, complete.Section II, illustrated with six facsimile watercolour plates, and eight plans. With an extra plan - IVd - not called for also present. Collated, complete.Section III, illustrated with six facsimile watercolour plates, and five plans. Collated, complete.Section IV, illustrated with six facsimile watercolour plates, and five plans. Collated, complete.Section V, illustrated with six facsimile watercolour plates, and five plans. Collated, complete.With instructions for the decoration of drawing rooms, parlours, dining rooms and children and adult bedrooms given.Undated; dated 1913-1915 via Jisc.With the illustrated bookplate of Hampshire based architect A. Leonard Roberts to front pastedowns.A wonderful and very scarce insight into model interior design of the 1910s. In the publisher's original cloth backed portfolio binding, with paper covered boards. Paper labels to head of front boards. With all but one of the ten cloth ties totally or partially lacking. Bumping to back strip heads and tails. Small split to cloth of section I front joint, light tide marks to front board head, and front and rear pastedown. Extensive tide marks and damp stains to perimeters of front board of section II, affecting pastedowns. One internal fold of section II portfolio binding lacking. Light tide mark to fore edge of front board of section III, with significant tide marks and damp stains to rear board, and further tide mark to pastedowns. Minor tide marks to perimeters of rear board of volume V. Bookplate to front pastedowns. Internally, unbound as issues. Pages bright. Tide marks to section II title page, and reverse of two colour plates, to perimeters of majority of leaves of volume III, and minor marks to perimeters of leaves of volume V. Good . Ill.: Richard Goulburn Lovell. Good .