John Ruskin
The Works of John Ruskin, XVIII: Sesame and Lilies; The Ethics of Dust; The Crown of Wild Olive. With Letters on Public Affairs, 1859-1866.
London/New York: George Allen/Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905. Library edition. Edited by E. T. Cook and Alexander Wedderburn. lxxix/557 pages.
Antique volume, measuring approximately 7.25" x 10.25", is bound in red cloth, with stamped gilt lettering and emblem stamped in gold on front cover. Book displays shelfwear, with scattered white markings and sunning to spine. Binding is firm. Antique bookplate is affixed to front pastedown. Partially-uncut pages are clean and bright. Work is illustrated with tissue-guarded plates, including frontispiece.
"Two thousand and sixty-two copies of this edition - of which two thousand are for sale in England and America."
"The influence of John Ruskin both on his own time & on artistic and social developments in the 20th century, cannot be over-stated. He changed Victorian perceptions of art, & was the main influence behind 'Gothic revival' architecture. As a social critic, he argued for the improvement of the condition of the poor, & against the increasing mechanisation of work in factories, which he believed was dull & soul-destroying. The 39 volumes of the Library Edition of his works, published between 1903 & 1912, are themselves a remarkable achievement, in which his books & essays - almost all highly illustrated - are given a biographical & critical context in extended introductory essays & in the 'Minor Ruskiniana' - extracts from letters, articles & reminiscences both by and about Ruskin. This 18th volume contains Ruskin's writings on the nature of society."