Consolationis Philosophiae, Librie Quinque, the copy of The Duke of Portland
Glasgow: Foulis, 1751. Hardcover. First Foulis edition. Small 8vo, 6.25 x 4.15 inches, full contemporary dark brown calf with spine label, with gilt ducal stamp on front & rear cover and "P" beneath, signifying ownership of the Duke of Portland. Very good, light wear to edges and joints, small paper label on upper spine with handwritten number on it, and slip of paper affixed to rear pastedown on which is written, "Dear Dickinson, The Boethius came from the library of the Duke of Portland. Can't you see the 'strawberry' on the crown?" Contents very good, some toning and foxing to outermost pages, most of the contents very bright and exhibiting the the lovely typographical qualities that make these old Foulis editions so sought after, pages have a bit of tanning along gutter and left margin. Probably from the library of the 2nd Duke of Portland, William Betinck (1709-1762) who mainly eshewed politics and statesmanship and is best known these days for his involvement in propagating the Great Bottle Hoax of 1749 in which Londoners crowded into a theater in the expectation of seeing a man fit himself into a large wine bottle. There is a faint possibility that this was owned by the 3rd Duke of Portland (1738-1809), an historically much more important figure: he was a British Whig and then a Tory politician during the late Georgian era, serving as Chancellor of the University of Oxford (1792–1809) and twice as the Prime Minister of Great Britain (1783) and then of the United Kingdom (1807–1809). (4) 157 (2) pp. -- the last 2 pages being a list of other Foulis titles in print. Very good. Item #H27599
Price: $250.00