The Seasons

London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1842. [7], viii-xlviii, [5], 6-320pp. Later full morocco by Thomas or John Fazakerley of Liverpool, with their name stamped to foot of front turn in, raised bands, spine in six panels, title lettered directly to second panel, and author to third, remaining panels with double fillet border in gilt, red morocco frame, single fillet inner border, with central heart tool and four dots, upper cover with double fillet border in gilt, red morocco frame with single fillet inner border, hearts and dots surrounding another red morocco inner frame, with central oval red morocco frame encompassing the title and author, surrounded by fauna and flora in gilt, lower cover with similar frames and heart and dot border, single line to edges, inner edges again with red morocco border and watered silk doublures and endpapers, top and bottom edges gilt with gauffering, fore edge gilt and gauffered, with a triptych of small fore edge paintings (visible) of country scenes. Small repair to head of upper joint, very slightly rubbed to extremities. Internally the text is lightly browned, but clean. Illustrated throughout by several artists including John Bell, C. W. Cope, J. P. Knight, Frank Stone, C. Stonhouse and Thomas Webster. Book plate of Randall Moskovitz loosely laid in (Weber notes that Randall Moskovitz owned other Fazakerley bindings). Thomas Fazakerley and his son John, bookbinders in Liverpool were well known for their 'reliure de luxe' bindings. Weber notes that "a lot of fore-edge paintings came out of Fazakerley's bindery ... Many of the Fazakerley bindings with fore-edge paintings are done on the flat or closed surface [as here], especially those bindings that feature a triptych ... It might be added that the style of paintings does not clearly appear to differ. Carl J. Weber surmised there may have been several artists working for Fazakerley and this may be true, though unproven" (Weber, 'Annotated Dictionary of Fore-Edge Painting Artists and Binders', page 141). First Edition. Hardback. Very Good. 8vo.