Collectible - Acceptable

Brussels: J. Rozez, 1879. 8-volume set. 12mo hardcovers. Half polished black leather with five raised spine bands, and gilt spine titling and band decoration. Marbled paper boards and top edges dyed red. French. This set has been thoroughly grangerized, with numerous plates and illustrations - particularly of women, some of them hand-tinted, spanning the from the late 18th through the early 20th century in style - tipped or glued in. Fair set. All volumes shelfworn with rubbing to joints, and spines creased. Boards and pages toned. Dampstaining throughout set, much of it tinted blue or light black. Volume 1 front board detached. Spine broken in multiple places, with many detached pages; some loose pages quite chipped. Volume 2 dampstained, else binding firm. Volume 3 joints starting from head. Volume 4 spine head slightly erose and top edge skinned. Volume 5 spine head worn and front hinge cracked. Volume 6 joints starting from head. Hinge paper starting, and front endpages cracking. Volume 7 front joint starting from foot, and front hinge starting. Volume 8 front board detached and spine leather detached at front joint. Text block detached and some pages loose. This set previously belonged to Civil War war correspondent George Alfred Townsend, with his elegant bookplate depicting the War Correspondents' Memorial Arch and banner with "Gath", to front pastedown of Volume 1. This set also previously belonged to Henry Weston Farnsworth, Balkan War and WWI news correspondent, known for joining the French Foreign Legion and becoming one of the first American soldiers to be killed in World War I; his neat owner's inscription, dated 1912, inked on second front endpage of Volume 1. (literature, adventurer, memoir, biography, autobiography, books in french) Inquire if you need further information. NOT AVAILABLE FOR SHIPMENT OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.