Book Leather Bound Chronicles Of England 1864

A Chronicle of England B.C.55-A.D.1485

Written & Illustrated by James E Doyle in 1864

The designs Engraved & Printed in Colors by Edmund Evans

This book is a great beauty in full green leather with gold tooling by the world class book binders Baynton Riviera with all three gold end leafs.

marbled endpapers ,an elegantly bound copy in fine condition with only trivial signs of wear. The First Edition of one of the finest examples of Victorian color printing by the master printer-engraver Edmund Evans (1826-1905). The author, James Doyle, a gifted draughtsman and expert on heraldry, supplied the 81 watercolors scenes of medieval history and pageantry. In order to reproduce the detail and vivid colors of the originals, the wood engravings executed by Evans required printing in as many as ten separate colors by hand. "No one throughout the nineteenth century could mix such bright and clear inks as Evans. These small illustrations rival anything that even Baxter ever did. Added to the challenge of printing multiple colors, Evans decided to insert the pictures within the text at the appropriate points, making it "a landmark as the first printed book with original work printed in color expressly designed for the original text. A Chronicle of England was "the most carefully executed book he had ever printed. This book measures 11" x 8 5/8" x 2".