i would like to find out how much my antique ,illuminated copy of Grey's Elegy is worth?

Question

It is illuminated by owen jones,but there is no publication date. It is leather bound but the pages are coming loose and needs attention.

Answer 1

Hmm, this may be a somewhat valuable book. The only one like it currently listed at

abebooks.com

is priced at $300+ and has the following description (which sounds a bit like yours):

[Book Description: Longman,1846., 1846. 17 unpaged leaves. The binding is brown calf, embossed, repousse in the "medieval" or "gothic" style produced at this period by Edmonds & Remnants, whose label is affixed to the rear end-paper. On the top board is "Gray's Elegy" in a panel surrounded by a leaf pattern, which is repeated round a panel with the monogram "OJ" within on the back board. There is some minor wear to the edges at the expense of some of the gilt edges & borders. The eps are original. The book was originally constructed with by the gutta percha, unsewn method. Decay of the binding material has left the thick leaves detached in the covers. The interest of the book lies in its production in chromolithography as an illuminated "manuscript" page by page by Owen Jones. It is also the first recorded book with a joint American and English imprint. This book and its like-productions of the period are described and illustrated by Rurari McLean in his "Victorian Book Design".]

I have not been able to determine whether there have been reproductions of this edition published or not.

I advise you to give a fuller description, esp. of the illustrations and anything you know about the publisher. Then inquire of several rare book sellers, in business near you if possible, or on line. You can also find a number of these listed at

abebooks.com

Good luck. I would be very curious to know the outcome. Add a comment above.

Answer 2

First, if it's "Grey's" Elegy, it's worthless. If it is Gray's Elegy in a Country Churchyard, without a publisher and year of publication, it's most likely a fake.

If it is real leather and if the binding is old, not modern, from your description it still may not be worth much. There appear to be no printed versions that were issued without other Gray poems or works of other poets. If all you have is the Gray poem, it may be a fake or a privately printed copy. Without a provenance to substitute for a publisher, it's not going to be worth much.

Take it to a rare-book dealer for an up-close assessment.

Answer 3

Take it to an antique book dealer, or an antique auction house. Either will be able to give you an estimate. It's very hard to do so without actually seeing the book.
Is there a history with it? Do you have provenance? How did you come by it?

Answer 4

You need to get it valued by an expert and, if it is worth it, restored. There are some very old editions, I think 1750's that are also available as facsimile copies. The illustrations may be 100 years after the orginal edition.

Regards,

Tin

Answer 5

I'd probably give you a buck, 3.85 for it.