{"product_id":"charles-duke-yonge-life-of-wellington-1891","title":"1891 Charles Duke Yonge The Life of Arthur, Duke of Wellington","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eCharles Duke Yonge's survey, published in 1891 as part of Ward, Lock and Co.'s Minerva Library of Famous Books, is a solid and readable account from a historian already known for his Lives of Lord Liverpool and Marie Antoinette. The edition was edited by G. T. Bettany, M.A., B.Sc., and includes a portrait frontispiece after the original painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence, along with a fold-out sketch of the Battle of Waterloo showing the disposition of British troops, French cavalry, and the positions held by the Allied army on the 18th of June 1815.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eWhat makes this particular copy worth holding onto is the binding. Half-bound in brown leather with rich marbled paper boards in deep burgundy, blue, and ochre, the spine is raised on five bands and decorated with gilt floret tooling and a double-panel gilt title. The marbled endpapers pick up the same red and blue and orange palette. It is a proper late Victorian private binding of the kind collectors actively hunt for now, and it has the quiet authority that only a book bound for a serious library can carry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-pre-wrap leading-[1.7]\"\u003e[d]Author | Charles Duke Yonge [d]Title | The Life of Arthur, Duke of Wellington [d]Editor | G. T. Bettany, M.A., B.Sc. [d]Publisher | Ward, Lock and Co., London, New York, and Melbourne [d]Date | 1891 [d]Series | The Minerva Library of Famous Books [d]Binding | Half leather over marbled paper boards, five raised bands, gilt tooling to spine [d]Features | Portrait frontispiece after Sir Thomas Lawrence, fold-out sketch of the Battle of Waterloo, plans of principal battles [d]Language | English [d]Dimensions | 7.25 in H x 5 in W x 1.25 in D [d]Origin | England\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-pre-wrap leading-[1.7]\"\u003e[condition] The binding sits with a little lean in the spine. The leather spine and corner tips show age-appropriate rubbing, with some wear along the joints and at the head and tail of the spine where the leather has softened and lifted slightly. The marbled boards remain vibrant, with light scuffing to the surfaces and minor wear at the edges and corners consistent with the period. The gilt tooling on the spine is still crisp and fully legible. Internally the text block is clean and tight, pages bright with only faint scattered spotting to a few preliminary leaves. The portrait frontispiece and the fold-out Waterloo map are both present and intact, the map folding out cleanly without tears. A handsome working copy with the honest wear of a well-kept late Victorian private binding.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Austyn Marie Design","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51216913170710,"sku":"AMD-02888","price":155.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0896\/4623\/5926\/files\/April_2026-5150.jpg?v=1776462669","url":"https:\/\/austynmariedesign.com\/products\/charles-duke-yonge-life-of-wellington-1891","provider":"Austyn Marie Design","version":"1.0","type":"link"}