A Series Of Picturesque Views Of Seats Of The Noblemen And Gentlemen Of Great Britain And Ireland With Descriptive And Historical Letterpress. Edited By The Rev. F.O. Morris R.A., Author Of “A History Of British Birds”, Dedicated By Permission To Her Most Gracious Majesty The Queen. Vol. I, London: William Mackenzie, Co. Ludgate Hill, Edinburgh And Dublin, circa 1880.
This elaborately decorated book depicts the country seats, homes and estates of various British nobles and gentlemen, as well as views of Irish country houses during the late Victorian era. The series was begun in the 1860’s and eventually completed in six volumes in 1880, and this is the first volume of the series. There are 40 color plates, including the frontispiece and the preceding plate of Windsor Castle. The descriptions were done by Francis Orpen Morris (1810 - 1893), a parson and naturalist, and the plates were illustrated by Alexander Francis Lydon and coloured by Benjamin Fawcett.
The woodblock illustrations were done on art paper and on average, Fawcett printed each plate in eight colours.
The cover is ornately decorated in a bevelled red or terra cotta cloth binding, with elaborate gilt decorations to the spine and front, the British royal coat of arms is in gilt on the front and blindstamped with the same coat of arms on the back, there are soft chromo-lithographic plates, and all the edges are gilt.
The book is 4to. and measures 11 1//8 x 9 in. wide, the binding is tight and secure, there’s a hint of wear at the crown and one tip, occasional spots, and this is a great record of Victorian and architectural history.