The Book of Ornamental Alphabets, Ancient and Mediaeval, from the Eighth Century, with numerals, including Gothic; Church Text, Large and Small; German Arabesque; Initials for Illumination, Monograms, Crosses...
London: E. & F.N. Spon,. 1858. First edition. [6] pp., plus fifty typographic plates printed in black or in color. Rebacked with original spine laid down. Wear and some soiling to cloth. A good copy of the uncommon first edition. Dark green cloth boards titled in gilt. 9 x 6 in. Item #17252
Engraver and draughtsman Freeman Gage Delamotte (1814 – 1862) produced books of designs and letterforms for artists and printers from his studio on the Strand in London. The Delamottes were an artistic family: Freeman’s brother, Philip (1821 – 1889), was a photographer and illustrator who collaborated with J. Cundall on A Photographic Tour among the Abbeys of Yorkshire (Bell & Daldy, 1859). Their father, William (1775 – 1863), was a painter, engraver, and printer under the patronage of King George III.
OCLC records fourteen copies (eight in the United States). McLean, Victorian Book Design (revised edition), p. 144.
Price: $250.00