Lewis Melville — Horace Walpole (1717-1797) a Biographical Study

London, Hutchinson & Co, 1930 . First edition. Cloth. The very scarce first edition of Lewis Melville's biography of British Whig politician and author Horace Walpole. The very scarce first edition of this work, illustrated with a frontispiece and fifteen plates. Collated, complete.Melville offers a comprehensive biographical study of the 4th Earl of Orford, the Whig politician notable for his authorship of 'The Castle of Otranto', often described as the first Gothic novel.Walpole was the youngest son of the first British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and was an enormously influential figure in eighteenth century England.With a pencil inscription to the front free endpaper. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Bumping to spine head and tail, otherwise externally, excellent. Inscription to front free endpaper. Internally, firmly bound, but with one plate detached and loosely inserted, and another detached to the head. Instances of spotting throughout. Very Good . Ill.: Not Stated. Very Good .