£100
8vo, pp. [ii], xii, 335, [3, ads]. Original dark green cloth blocked in gilt, spine lettered in gilt, decorated blue endpapers. A little light foxing to first few leaves, else just a touch of spotting, stitching strained in a few places. A little rubbed and marked, a touch of wear to extremities. Gift inscriptions to half-title: ‘Julia F. Arnold from M.M., Dec 11th 1882′ and Chrissie B. Little d.d. Julia F. Huxley, Charterhouse, June 20th 1885’.
The first printing of this edition of Rossetti's poems, incorporating the final revisions made by the poet before his death in 1882; he also designed the endpapers and the designs in gilt to the boards.
This copy belonged to Julia Huxley, née Arnold (1862-1908), founder of Priors Field School, grand-daughter of Rugby headmaster Thomas Arnold and mother of Aldous Huxley. As a child she was regularly photographed along with her younger sisters by Lewis Carroll, who also photographed the Rossettis and maintained a long friendship and correspondence with Dante's sister Christina until her death in 1894, but no direct link between poet and owner is known.
