This beautifully bound 19th-century volume of The Poetical Works of John Milton is a stunning example of Victorian book craftsmanship. Edited by William Michael Rossetti and illustrated by Thomas Seccombe, this edition was published by E. Moxon, Son & Co., Dover Street, London, and includes an engraved title page and frontispiece portrait. Rossetti, a key figure in the Pre-Raphaelite movement, adds a layer of literary and artistic weight to the publication through his editorial work and critical memoir.
Bound in full deep brown morocco leather, the book features fine gilt tooling and dentelle turn-ins, giving it a regal and elegant presence. The all-edge gilt pages catch the light with a warm golden shimmer, while the marbled endpapers in rich red, gold, blue, and white provide a dramatic visual counterpoint. The interior pages include a series of engravings and highly stylized type, a hallmark of mid- to late-Victorian book design. Rossetti’s critical perspective, combined with Milton’s monumental poetry, creates a rich literary experience that reflects the intellectual culture of 19th-century Britain and its reverence for classical English literature.
