Theodore Watts-Dunton — Christmas at the Mermaid

London, John Lane, 1902. First edition. Cloth. A smart first edition of this very scarce poem from English critic Theodore Watts-Dunton, with illustrations. First edition. Very scarce work. Flowers of Parnassus - XI. Illustrated with a frontispiece, four plates, and numerous in-text images. Collated complete. A charming verse, written as an account of the conversations and merriment of The Mermaid Club, including Ben Johnson, Raleigh, and David Gwynn, as they assemble at the Mermaid Tavern one Christmas season. Written by Theodore Watts-Dunton, an English poetry critic with major periodicals, and a poet. Illustrated by Herbert Cole, an English book illustrator and portrait artist. In the original green cloth binding. Externally, smart with light rubbing and minor bumping to the extremities. Minor fading to the spine. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are very bright with minor age toning to the endpapers. Very Good . Ill.: Herbert Cole. Very Good .