Isabella or the Pot of Basil.
Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1898. Small quarto. (55)pp. Eight woodcut illustrations and each page with black floral borders. A fine rendering of John Keats's poem adapted from Boccacio's Decameron. In it, a young woman engaged to marry a nobleman falls in love with a commoner. When her brothers discover their relationship, they murder the commoner. Isabella learns of their crime in a dream, and, distraught, exhumes the body and buries the head in the titular pot of basil, over which she perpetually weeps. This version is sumptuously illustrated with black borders and romantic imagery of Isabella, her lover, her brothers, and their lush countryside. The effect is pleasingly nostalgic, matching the sympathy of Keats's poem. Bound in green cloth over boards with rich gilt tooling to spine and upper cover. Minor general wear to exterior, including three red blotches to lower cover. Overall, a near fine copy with a clean interior. Item #28046
Price: $650.00