1886 JOHN RUSKIN Beauty and Nature - Philosophy Aesthetic writings - Suede Leather hardcover book - H M Caldwell New York - buy Vintage antique

"The great Victorian art critic and philosopher John Ruskin believed all beauty comes from nature. For him, art that takes anything but nature as its pattern is ugly, monstrous and immoral. ... Ruskin's ideas shaped British attitudes to culture and nature in the 19th century". His book BEAUTY AND NATURE "has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. "

I offer for sale an antique suede leather bound copy published by H. M. Caldwell of New York in 1886.
The elegant front cover of the 4 1/2" x 7" book displays a gilt edged portrait of a Victorian woman of buy wealth hung from an embossed flowering vine. Its outside edges are gilt and there is a brown ribbon bookmark sewn into the binding.

The book is 293 pages in length. The book starts with a colored engraving portrait of Ruskin as frontispiece. Next comes a preface and sections dedicated to his writings on Beauty, Nature, Architecture, and Sculpture.

Aged, the 130+ year old book is in very good antique condition. The bindings are tight. The pages are clean, without marks or tears. The illustrations are crisp and clear. The soft cover bends, but doesn't break, where it extends beyond the inside pages highlighting the shape of the pages.; its colors, faded in places. The front cover endpapers are cracked in places probably from bending the front cover.. The back endpapers look fine.

Please see the pictures. They are part of the description.

A rare find and I will accept return if you are dissatisfied with your purchase!

Thanks for considering it.