Fr. Rolfe; Frederick Rolfe — Hadrian the Seventh

London, Chatto & Windus, 1904. First edition. Leather. The first edition, first issue, of the best known work of Frederick Rolfe, a rumination on the Catholic Church. The first edition, first issue, with the original cloth restored to the endpapers, the original front board with white decoration. Thirty-two pages of adverts to the rear, dated September 1903.'Hadrian the Seventh' follows a failed candidate for the priesthood, who was denied by the Roman Catholic church. The novel sees him living alone with his little yellow cat, whereupon he is visited by two prominent churchmen, one a Cardinal Archbishop, proposing to right the wrongs done to him. By Frederick Rolfe. This was his best known work. In a half calf binding with marbled paper to the boards, with the original cloth bound in. Externally, smart. Spine is faded. A small amount of wear to the tail of the spine and joints, with a small amount of loss to the tail of the rear board. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and generally clean with scattered spots. Very Good . Ill.: None. Very Good .