London

Alvin Langdon Coburn; Hillaire Belloc (introduction). London. London: Duckworth & Co; New York: Brentano's, [1909]. First edition. Folio (16.125 x 12 inches; 410 x 305 mm.). 21, [3, blank] pages. Twenty photogravure plates, hand-pulled by the photographer, following the text; each mounted by the upper corners to thick gray-green paper, sewn in gatherings of four leaves. Publisher's dark green quarter-roan over brown paper-covered boards; front board lettered in gilt; all edges of the text block trimmed; gray-green endpapers. In the original letterpress dust jacket (defective), plain gray paper with the title (since removed) and author printed in black. Boards very slightly warped; covers faintly dulled where exposed due to jacket defects, light discoloration to the top edge of the rear board and some general minor soiling; spine ends worn with a touch of loss at the base of the spine; front joint starting at the lower edge (for about four inches); very minor crimping to the paper covering the front board; board edges rubbed with a couple minor dings; corners softly bumped and worn with the boards partially exposed. Text very faintly foxed. Still, a very good copy; images fine. Dust jacket lacking the upper-third or so of the front panel, removing London but retaining all of the text in Coburn's name; moderate chipping along the bottom edge; spine panel lightly darkened with a few small interior holes; routine wear to the edges and folds with some tears stabilized with tissue paper to prevent further loss on the rear panel and in the rear flap fold; fair only, but it exists. Roth 38; Truthful Lens 36. (#10001).