Kelmscott Press--Chaucer, Geoffrey

folio, LIMITED TO 438 COPIES OF WHICH THIS IS ONE OF 425 ON PAPER, PRESENTATION COPY INSCRIBED BY WILLIAM MORRIS ("to | R. Catterson Smith | from | William Morris | July 7th 1896") on leaf a2 AND THEREFORE ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF COPIES SIGNED BY MORRIS AND ONE OF ONLY TWO SUCH COPIES IN PRIVATE HANDS, wood-engraved illustrations after Edward Burne-Jones, ornamental woodcut borders, title and initials, printed in red and black, original holland-backed boards, additional loose-fitting Morris-design fabric covering ("Morris & Company 449 Oxford Street" at edge), occasional minor spotting, soiling or rust-stains, some very short minor tears, chips or creases at edges of leaves, occasional minor paper imperfections. a few possible repairs to minor tears, loss of a very small number of corners not affecting text

Peterson A40; Peterson, William S. and Sylvia H. The Kelmscott Chaucer: A Census (New Castle, DE, 2011)

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

"To me it is the most beautiful of all printed books" - W.B. Yeats

"The grandest book that has issued from the press since the invention of typography" - F.S. Ellis

Of 281 paper copies described within the Petersons’ The Kelmscott Chaucer: A Census, there are only thirteen copies with inscriptions by William Morris to named recipients. With the exception of the copy in the collection of the late Sir Paul Getty (Wormsley Library), all are in institutional collections. 

The inscriptions are as follows: Jane Morris (“To Janey with WMs best love June 6th 1896” [British Library]), Kate Faulkner (“to Kate Faulkner from William Morris July 7th 1896” [Bryn Mawr College]), Jenny Morris (“to Jenny with WMs best love June 6th 1896” [Cambridge University]), W.W. Skeat (“to The Reverend Professor Skeat from William Morris with many thanks for kind help July 13th 1896” [Cambridge University]), Philip Webb (“To Philip Webb, July 7th 1896” [Cambridge University]), Emery Walker (“to Emery Walker from William Morris July 11th 1896” [Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum]), W.H. Hooper (“To William Harcourt Hooper from William Morris July 7th 1896” [University of Chicago]), Georgiana Burne-Jones (“To Lady Burne-Jones from William Morris Sept. 28th” [Hiroshima University of Economics]), Theodore Watts-Dunton (inscription not cited by the Petersons, but dated 13 July 1896 [Los Angeles County Museum of Art]), S.C. Cockerell (“To Sydney C. Cockerell from William Morris. July 7th 1896” [Morgan Library]), May Morris (“to May with William Morris’s best love June 12th 1896” [Society of Antiquaries]), T.J. Cobden-Sanderson (inscription not cited by the Petersons, but dated 9 June 1896 [Wormsley Library]) and A.C. Swinburne (“To Algernon Charles Swinburne from William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones July 12th 1896” [Yale University]).

It appears that the volume was covered in a loose fabric by Isobel Catterson-Smith in 1937. An autograph letter signed ("W.C. Stafford") from Morris and Company sends "the remnants of chintz herewith". The material carries the address of the Morris & Company showrooms which were occupied from 1878 until 1918. The letter is enclosed within a Morris & Company prospectus for "'Kelmscott' Sectional Bookcases".