Leaves from the Poets' Laurels (Moxon's Miniature Poets)

xx, 220pp. Tissue-guarded portrait frontispiece, head and tail piece decorations among bordered pages. In orange cloth-covered, bevelled boards, enriched with elaborate gilt decorations and titles on spine. All edges gilt. Deep grey endpapers. (Boards are a little worn, lightly rubbed at extreme corners and spine tips, slightly sunned spine.) Internally a little mild, occasional spotting, tissue guard browned, else internally neat, clean, bright and tight. A handsome and robust volume containing an anthology of mostly English verse and poetry, with poets such as Lord Bryon, C T Turner, George Meredith, Barry Cornwall, Lord Tennyson, Keats, Shelley, Thomas Campbell, Owen Meredith, William Morris, Longfellow, Lord Lytton, Christina Rossetti, George Eliot, Mrs Hemans and many more represented. With a preface addressing the value of collecting gems of poetry and the vagaries of literary taste. Issued as part of Moxon's Miniature Poet series, the volume does not confirm to the standard definitions of a miniature book, measuring approximately 5 by 61/4 inches, its is nevertheless a pleasing and attractive small volume.