The Poetical Works of John Milton — Aldine Edition of the British Poets (Bell & Daldy, c.1850s, 3 Volumes in Fine Calf Bindings)

A distinguished three-volume set of The Poetical Works of John Milton, from The Aldine Edition of the British Poets — a landmark 19th-century series devoted to presenting the great English poets in elegantly printed and finely bound editions.

This mid-19th-century reissue was published by Bell & Daldy, Covent Garden, who acquired William Pickering’s original Aldine plates and continued issuing the series with the same refined typographic design. The volumes include Milton’s complete works — Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, Samson Agonistes, and his shorter poems — accompanied by the biographical and editorial notes characteristic of the Aldine series.

Bound in full polished calf with gilt-tooled spines featuring the Aldine emblem of crossed keys and mitre, black and red title panels, and gilt rules to boards. Each cover bears a gilt school prize crest, likely from St. Peter’s College, Westminster, lending a touch of provenance and academic heritage. The set is finished with marbled endpapers and marbled page edges, a hallmark of quality binding from the period.

An ownership inscription reads “R. E. Marshall, Peterhouse, May 1873,” adding historical character and authenticity.

A superb example of the Bell & Daldy Aldine Milton — admired for its literary importance, craftsmanship, and enduring aesthetic appeal.

Minor light wear; interiors clean. Bindings tight and sound.

Condition: Very Good + 

Size: 4 1/4” X 6 1/2”

A refined Aldine set — Milton’s immortal verse beautifully preserved in mid-19th-century calf.