The Holy Land – William Hepworth Dixon – 1885 Bickers & Son

A handsome 1885 illustrated edition of William Hepworth Dixon's The Holy Land, published in London by Bickers & Son and particularly notable for its suite of twelve illustrations after David Roberts, R.A.

The Roberts views are reproduced in permanent photography and depict important locations throughout the Holy Land, including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jaffa, Hebron, Mount Carmel, Cana, Nazareth and others. All twelve illustrations are present, accompanied throughout the text by numerous additional woodcut illustrations and decorative elements.

The book retains its striking Victorian pictorial cloth binding, elaborately decorated in gilt and black. The front board features a detailed Middle Eastern cityscape with figures and camel beneath the gilt title, surrounded by architectural and floral ornamentation. The spine is likewise pictorially decorated and lettered in gilt and black.

An original binder's ticket on the rear pastedown identifies the binding as the work of W. Bone & Son, 76 Fleet Street, London, E.C. The book is further finished with gilt page edges on all three sides, adding considerably to its decorative presentation.

Good to Very Good antique condition. The binding remains sound and presents very attractively, particularly the front board, where the elaborate gilt and black decoration remains strong. The spine shows substantial fading from its original red/orange cloth, along with rubbing and wear at the spine ends and edges consistent with age.

Internally, the book remains well preserved. There is scattered foxing and age toning, including some spotting around the preliminary pages and occasional plate margins. The twelve Roberts illustrations are complete and remain attractive, with very good image quality and tonal detail. All three page edges retain their gilt finish.