The Poetical Works of John Milton, Fine Binding by Bayntun-Rivière, 1946

A beautifully bound 1946 edition of The Poetical Works of John Milton, published in London by Oxford University Press under the Geoffrey Cumberlege imprint and presented in an elaborate blue leather fine binding.

This substantial collection brings together Milton's poetry, including Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes, and his shorter poems. The text was edited from the original sources by H. C. Beeching, with translations of Milton's Italian, Latin, and Greek poetry drawn from the Columbia University edition and a reader's guide by W. Skeat. Bibliographic records confirm this Oxford edition and its 1946 issue. 

This copy is distinguished by its fine binding by Bayntun-Rivière of Bath, identified by the binder's stamp along the upper turn-in. The celebrated Bath bindery traces its history through both George Bayntun and the older Rivière firm, which Bayntun acquired in 1939. Bayntun-Rivière became particularly known for traditional English hand bindings executed in fine leather with elaborate gilt tooling.

This volume is bound in blue leather with raised bands, extensive gilt tooling to the spine, a contrasting red leather title label, gilt rules and corner ornaments to the boards, and richly gilt-tooled turn-ins. The restrained blue covers make the exceptionally ornate spine especially striking, giving the book the appearance of a traditional English private-library binding.

Origin: London, England, 1946; fine binding by Bayntun-Rivière, Bath, England
Material: Printed paper, blue leather binding, gilt tooling, leather title label
Condition: Good vintage condition with visible rubbing, scratches, and scattered marks to the leather boards, along with minor spotting and age-related wear internally. Binding remains sound and highly decorative. Please review photographs as part of the condition description.