Limited Editions Club Sonnets from the Portuguese

Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning was first published in 1850. It describes the growth and development of her love for Robert Browning, at first hesitating to involve him in her sorrowful invalid life, then yielding to gradual conviction of his love for her, and finally rapturous in late born happiness. The title, chosen to disguise the personal nature of the poems by suggesting that they were a translation, was a secret reference for the Brownings to his nickname for her, "the Portuguese, " based on her poem "Catarina to Camoens, " which Browning particularly admired and which portrayed a Portuguese woman's devotion to her poet lover. After Shakespeare and Milton I don't think we see many sonnets of this quality.

Illustrating our edition, Valenti Angelo embellished each sonnet with individual decorations, in red and blue and gold. This is a large book, considered an elephant folio in size, the pages being 10 1/2 by 15 inches. All the foundry Bulmer type was composed by hand. The printing was performed at the Limited Edition Club Printing Office in New York; the type in black, the decorations in "illuminator's blue" and "illuminator's red, " and the gold applied to the sheets through silk screens.

For the paper, we are indebted to the Worthy Paper Company for paper made completely of linen rags: a slack-sized, warmly-toned, heavy sheet, no two pages the same size. The binding is of blue unfinished linen, stamped with gold leaf, and the book is enclosed in a hand-molded case covered with the same linen material. This is number 216 of 1500 copies, and is signed by Valenti Angelo. The offer includes both the Limited Editions Club Monthly Letter and the prepublication announcement. The offer should have wide appeal but most especially to lovers of poetry and English literature, and to collectors of feminist writings, it would make an awesome gift to any woman of any age. As to condition, the book and case are as nice as any that will turn up in the marketplace.

Thank you for reading this presentation, and good luck in your searches. Feel free to contact me with any questions. This item is in the category "Books & Magazines\Antiquarian & Collectible". The seller is "629north61ststreet" and is located in this country: US.

This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, Korea, South, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Republic of, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei Darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French Guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macau, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Vietnam, Uruguay.

Year Printed: 1948
Topic: Poetry
Binding: unfinished blue linen for both book and slipcase
Illustrator: Valenti Angelo
Author: Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Subject: love sonnets
Language: English
Publisher: Limited Editions Club
Place of Publication: LEC Printing Office/NYC
Special Attributes: Collector's Edition, Illustrated, Inscribed, Limited Edition, Numbered