“THE STORY OF HER MANY LAPSES FROM VIRTUE…”: BEAUTIFULLY BOUND AND ILLUSTRATED LIFE OF EMMA, LADY HAMILTON

FRANKAU, Julia. The Story of Emma, Lady Hamilton. London: Macmillan, 1911. Two volumes. Tall folio (12 by 16 inches), original full vellum gilt, elaborately gilt-decorated spines and covers, top edges gilt, uncut. $4200.

Signed limited first edition of this richly illustrated biography of Lady Hamilton, number 99 of only 250 copies signed by the author, with 38 lovely color plates and 37 in-text illustrations, beautifully bound in full elaborately gilt-decorated vellum.

"A true and authentic account of the birth, life and death of the notorious adventuress… together with the story of her many lapses from virtue both before and after her connection with Immortal Nelson, the Hero of the Nile" (page v). Lady Hamilton was much loved as a subject for various portraitists, including Sir Joshua Reynolds and George Romney; many of these portraits are reproduced here in color. With errata slip in Volume I. Bookplates.

Plates and text fine, minor soiling to vellum spines, minor expert repair to joints, gilt bright. A beautiful copy.