Robert Browning — Dramatis Personae and Dramatic Romances & Lyrics

London, Chatto & Windus, 1909. Cloth. A charming illustrated copy of Robert Browning's 'Dramatis Personae and Dramatic Romances & Lyrics&apos. With ten coloured plates illustrated by one of the most popular artists of the Edwardian era, Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale. Brickdale gained notoriety as an illustrator, painter and watercolour artist, and many of her works were painted in a Pre-Raphaelite style. Beyond her work as an artist Brickdale as worked as a designer, producing stained-glass windows and small-scale sculptures as well as paintings. Amongst her best known works are 'The Uninvited Guest' and 'Guinevere&apos. Robert Browning was a major English poet of the Victorian age, noted for his dark humour, irony and dramatic monologues. Whilst his path to success was rather slow and faltering, it was the publication of this text, his 'Dramatis Personae' (1864) and 'The Ring and the Book' (1868-9), his greatest work, that led to the poet's success and popularity, beginning a critical re-evaluation of his work. Indeed, this collection of poetry was his first publication after a nine-year hiatus, and is notably darker than the poems found in 'Men and Women', his previous collection, hence embodying a turning point in Browning's style. In a cloth binding with gilt detail. Externally, generally smart. Sunned to spine. Light bumping to extremities. Bumped to head and tail of spine, resulting in small loss to cloth. Internally, firmly bound. Pages bright and clean. Good . Ill.: Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale. Good .