THE LADY OF THE LAKE, with Illustrations by Howard Chandler Christy Scott, Sir Walter Literature

First edition thus. Originally published in 1810, this poem was tremendously influential in the 19th century and inspired the Highland Revival. Quarto: unpaginated with a frontispiece and 12 full-page plates, all color halftones after watercolors by Howard Chandler Christy, as well as numerous textual vignettes, all halftones printed in black and blue, after pencil and watercolor drawings by Christy. In the publisher's dark olive vertical fine-ribbed cloth binding designed by Bertha Stuart, with pale green-stamped ruled borders, pale green and yellow-stamped full cover floral and branch decorations, and gilt-stamped ruled surround with titling on the front panel, and blind-stamped ornament and running titling along the spine. In the scarce dust jacket with gold-printed bands and pale green, blue, and black-printed tartan band wrapping to the rear panel, gold-printed surround for a color Christy vignette, and gold-printed titling. The dust jacket is lightly toned along the spine, with some mild edgewear, and a few archival reinforcements to the verso. Housed in the publisher's two-piece pictorial box, which has been expertly reinforced along the seams. Provenance: from the Publishers' Bookbindings collection of Ellen K. Morris and Edward S. Levin.