PLUTARCH. The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes
London, The Nonesuch Press, 1929.
£ 600
Folio, 5 vols (No. 1533 of 1550 copies). Decorative portrait illustration for each life by T. L. Poulton printed by the Curwen Press printed in Monotype Fournier on Arches paper. Ca 30×20 cm, original brown buckram over bevelled boards, printed paper spine labels with spares on lower pastedowns, top edges gilt, others uncut. Darkened endpapers, spines slightly speckled, and Vol. 2 slightly bubbled, otherwise good. Thomas North’s translation of Amyot’s French version of Plutarch’s Lives printed from the first edition of 1579 with the addition of 15 lives from the 3rd edition of 1603. Upper edge gilt. A classic work and an elegant printing.