Poems. PAYN (James).

First Edition. Small 8vo. [163 x 105 x 22 mm]. viii, 191, [1] pp. Contemporary binding of green goatskin, the covers tooled in gilt with a wide border of triple fillets with a strip of red goatskin, surrounded by repeated floral tools on a studded background with rectangular ornaments on citron onlays and an open "S" shaped tool on red onlays, and a harp tool at the centre. The spine with three raised bands, lettered in the upper panel and dated at the centre, with gilt compartments containing floral tools, the edges of the boards tooled with a gilt roll, the turn-ins and matching inside joints tooled with fillets and floral ornaments, brown silk endleaves and doublures, edges gilt over marbled.(Slightly rubbed and some minute insect activity detectable on the turn-ins).
Cambridge: [by R. Clay for] Macmillan & Co., 1853.

A few spots and some minor soiling, but it is a good copy. It is an elaborate and attractive binding, and the harp has led one previous owner to suggest it as Irish. I would say that it is probably English provincial and it appears to have been bound specially for the family. There are two ink inscriptions, the first on the half-title: "Cecilia E. Edlin from her most affectionate sister Louisa. Oct 26th / 53", the second on the front flyleaf: "To dear Mrs [erased] with love & best Xmas wishes from Louisa A Payn". There is also the pencil signature of "Effie Payn".

James Payn (1830-1898) was the product of Eton and Trinity College Cambridge. This is the second of his two volumes of poetry, following Stories from Boccaccio (1852). It opens with "The Uncut Volume" and "Pygmalion" and concludes with "Wordsworth's Grave". In February 1854 Payn married Lousia Adelaide Edlin, and they settled in the Lake District where they bacame friends with Mary Russell Mitford and Harriet Martineau. Payn went on to edit Chamber's Journal and the Cornhill Magazine, and he published over 60 novels, the first appearing in 1859.

Stock no. ebc1710