The Story of Sigurd the Volsung.
And the Fall of the Niblungs.
London: Ellis and White, 1877 Stock Code: 129025
First edition of Morris's Icelandic epic, his longest and most ambitious poem. Although dated 1877 this work was issued in November 1876. He had published a prose translation, in collaboration with Eirikr Magnusson, in 1870, though this edition presents the first appearance of his solo poetic treatment of the epic. "This four-book narrative in resounding rhyming couplets is constructed with the confidence of one of the great Victorian feats of engineering. Sigurd was Morris's own favourite of all his works" (ODNB). Morris's work was later re-published by the Kelmscott Press with two large woodcuts by Edward Burne-Jones. Morris had planned for Burne-Jones to produce a large, fully-illustrated, folio edition, however Burne-Jones dallied, and the book was only issued in 1898, two years after Morris's death.
Description
Octavo (198 x 138 mm). Near-contemporary brown morocco by Roger de Coverly, spine elaborately tooled in gilt in compartments, triple rule gilt frames to covers, gilt rolled turn-ins, all edges gilt, marbled endpapers.
Condition
With a later bookplate to front pastedown. Minor wear to spine ends and tips, faint offsetting to endpapers from turn-ins, a near-fine copy.
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