One of the latest Deluxe Limited Editions (DLE) to be released by Easton Press is London: A Pilgrimage, by Gustave Doré (1832-1883) and Blanchard Jerrold (1826-1884). I was excited about this publication since Gustave Doré is one of my favorite illustrators, and Victorian England one on my favorite times and settings in history (at least for literature).
London: A Pilgrimage was first published in 1872 by Grant & Company, of which this DLE is a facsimile. It was a big success despite some critics thinking Doré spent too much time focusing on the poverty within London, making it vulgar in their opinion. Today the book provides a marvelous and powerful look at the ‘real’ London of that era; the beauty, the glamour and the poverty which existed side by side, each foreign to the other. It is a portrait of Victorian England that is unmatched in its ability to portray a time, place and way of life now mostly remembered, accurately or not, through the novels of Charles Dickens.
Easton Press has done a fine job with this DLE. The size allows a generous scale for Doré’s incredible illustrations. The illustrations are nicely reprinted, perhaps room for just a bit more sharpness, but all in all very well done. The binding is nice with very thick boards and nice, smooth, soft leather. The paper and type are both very good, worthy of a DLE. The slipcase is nice, though I do wonder a bit about the color mismatch between the slipcase and the book itself! Minor quibble, which I do not really mind, but I do wonder what the story is there. For those thinking about jumping into Easton’s DLE world, I would not hesitate with getting this one. It is one of the best they have done, quality is very good, and the illustrations and topic are fascinating. The original 1872 edition is hard to find in very good or better condition, and will cost you much more than the cost of this Easton Press DLE.
About the Edition
- All 180 illustrations by the great Gusatove Doré from the historic 1872 edition
- 54 full-page plates, each protected by hand-applied tissue overlays
- Cowhide leather imported from Italy by Cortina Leathers of New York, New York
- The original cover from the 1872 edition beautifully stamped in two colors
- Heavyweight paper especially milled by Glatfelter Paper, Spring Grove, Pennsylvania
- Two-color printing throughout
- Lithography by Falcon Press, Nashville, Tennessee
- A custom-crafted slipcase for storage and display by BindTech, Nashville, Tennessee
- A raised “hubbed” spine deeply embossed with genuine 22kt gold
- Printed marble endsheets, Smyth-sewn pages
- 11 3/4″ x 14 3/4″, 328pp
- Limited to just 400 hand-numbered copies, mine is #295
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