London and New York: Harper & Brothers, 1907. Quarto (9 3/8 x 7 3/8 inches; 238 x 188 mm.), xviii, 409, [1, blank] pp. Colored frontispiece and nineteen photogravure plates with tissues printed in red & brown, extra-illustrated by the insertion of twenty-five engraved plates of which six are hand-colored. Bound ca. 1925 by Bayntun, stamp-signed in gilt "Bayntun. Binder. Bath. Eng." on front turn-in. Full dark blue crushed levant morocco over beveled boards, covers with elaborate gilt frames, spine with five raised bands, elaborately decorated and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt ruled board edges, wide elaborate gilt turn-ins, all edges gilt. Front doublure of red morocco surrounded by a frame of inlaid maroon morocco. Set into the front doublure are two very fine oval miniature paintings set under beveled glass within a double gilt frame. The upper miniature is of Margaret de Valois, Queen Margot of Navarre. The lower miniature is of her spouse Henry III of Navarre (later Henry IV of France). Both miniatures measure 3 3/16 x 2 1/2 inches; 81 x 63 mm. The rear doublure is of red morocco surrounded by a frame of inlaid maroon morocco. Blue watered silk end-leaves. A very fine example housed in its original felt-lined blue cloth clamshell case.

Margaret of Valois (1553-1615) was a French Princess who became Queen of Navarre and France. Highly educated and a patroness of the arts, Margaret would kind herself embroiled in political upheavals. Her marriage to Henry III of Navarre (later Henry IV of France) was organized to promote reconciliation between Catholics and Huguenots. However, she would find herself at odds with her husband during continued religious tensions and unable to conceive an heir. Margaret also faced conflict with her brother Henry III. Eventually she would choose to side with the Catholic League, survive prison, annul her marriage, and eventually live out her life in her an intellectual court pursuing her own scholarly devours.

George Bayntun (1873-1940) was the founder of Bayntun Bindery. Trained by apprenticeship with the Taylor family, Bayntun opened his own book bindery in 1894 dedicated to using traditional hand-crafted techniques and high-quality materials. The Bath-based firm acquired the Rivière Bindery (also based in Bath) in 1939, transforming into the “Bayntun-Riviere bindery,” which is still in existence and family owned. Although named after the English miniaturist Richard Cosway (1742-1821), the desirable “Cosway Binding” with its jewel-like portrait miniature set into a fine binding was first developed at the turn of the century by J.H. Stonehouse, director of London’s Henry Sotheran Booksellers. Their miniatures were painstakingly crafted by the talented painter Miss C. B. Currie (1849-1940). As the style grew in popularity, other publishing houses quickly began to reproduce this technique—each developing their own desirable take on the aesthetic—referred to as “Cosway style.” Fine (Item #6241)