perdita 2 [the english sappho]‹perdita› paid homage to a federal-period title-page of

perdita 2 [the english sappho]‹perdita› paid homage to a federal-period title-page of perdita’s memoirs; adding frontispiece of simulated engraving after her portrait by sir john hopper: inspired by the one here illustrated (1st illustration), from Poems by mrs m. robinson (perdita), published by john bell in 1791, frontispiece engraved by thomas burke after the portrait by sir joshua reynolds. perdita had had an affair with the prince of wales, future george iv; perdita quit the stage for george, but the affair was brief—for some biographical insight vide ‹perdita›. bell’s dedication (2nd illustration) sets the stage for this sweet volume: bell held the royal warrant «bookseller to his royal highness the prince of wales» & the first name on the subscription list (3rd illustration) shows the royal connection remained true, at least, propelling perdita toward a new sobriquet—the english sappho.  in John Bell stanley morison gives some description of the book: «The title-pages of volumes forming no part of a series such as the Poems of Perdita carried no device. This volume of Poems is a handsome affair with a fine frontispiece portrait of Mrs Robinson engraved by Burke after Reynolds. The small nondescript ornament on the title-page is, so far as I know, peculiar to the book.» [John Bell, printed for the author at the university press, cambridge, 1930, p113]. after a thorough survey of continental tastes, bell had given impetus to the modern in british typography by commissioning types cut to his specification by richard austin, & establishing the british letter foundry—vide ‹the letters of john bell›. but this book is not set in ‘bell’ types, as morison tells us: «If Bell’s repertoire of ornaments and embellishments was simple, so was his collection of types. The ‘Belll’ types were used less for his books than his newspapers. And with reason, for Bell was wedded to the small book and found Fry’s long-primer on a small-pica body most to his taste.» [ibid., p111]. morison refers here to types from the foundry of edmund fry, london, of transitional cut (after the style of baskerville). the 4th illustration shows a complete poem spread—perdita’s homage to goethe’s werther. the illustrations are indicative of bell’s typographical style in book work, showing, in particular, his taste for rules & penchant for setting italic caps. -- source link

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