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Synopsis

A background for the study of literature. volumes i and ii.

Item Description

TWO VOLUMES. 8vo. 9.25 x 6.25 inches. Volume I, xvii + [i] + 269 pp.; Volume II, viii + 282 pp. Bound in original navy cloth, gilt. Minor signs of wear at corners and base of spines, but otherwise a very good set. 1978 signatures on first free endpapers. Illustrated by 80 pages of black and white plates. 'This book has grown out of my gradual realization of the extent to which the history of art constitutes a most vivid, enlightening commentary on the history of literature.' (Preface). An examination of how cultured and literary individuals manifested a sense of beauty in their approach to poetry, textile design, ceramic decoration, and garden and house planning. It includes chapters on architecture, furniture, garden design, the influence of oriental art and of the Middle Ages (e.g. Strawberrry Hill). Beverly Sprague Allen (1881-1935) was a literary scholar who was a member of the faculty of the English Department of New York University, 1914-34; a full professor from 1924, he researched this work during periods of study leave in Europe (Beverly Sprague Allen Papers: NYU Special Collections website). The first edition was published in 1937.