1873 History of England | Eton Leaving Present, 2 Volumes

The History of England by Lord Macaulay. Two volumes. Printed by Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer, London, England. Published 1873. English Language.

A two-volume set bound in full leather; spines include dual-color leather labels (red and green), intricate gilt tooling on spines featuring a stylized cross-shaped starburst surrounded by vines and flourishes, gold linework borders on spines and covers, five raised bands on each spine, all page edges marbled, vibrant marbled endpapers, gold dentelle work on all interior borders and along board edges. 

Flyleaf inscription: "To Alfred Bayley Ridley on his leaving Eton from his Housemaster. T. Dalton, Eton: Dec 1877"

Eton is England's most prestigious public boarding school; it was a tradition for a boy's House Master or the Headmaster to gift a book known as a final token of academic merit, known as an Eton Leaving Book.

Reverend Thomas Dalton, a mathematics master and housemaster, made this inscription. Dalton gifted the book to Alfred Bayley Ridley, who was a young English aristocrat who attended Eton in the 1870s. After leaving the school, he went on to have a prominent military career, serving as a Captain in the King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment and fighting on the North-West Frontier of India and in the Sudan. 

His father was Sir Matthew White Ridley, 4th Baronet.

130 mm W x 185 mm H.

Condition: 

Volume 1: 776 pages. Some marks and discoloration to the front and back covers, some wear to the hinges, slight marks on the spine, some rubbing to the corners, some fading to the page edges, foxing throughout. Good condition. 

Volume 2: 820 pages. Some marks and discoloration on the front and back covers, some wear to the hinges, slight marks on the spine, some corner rubbing, some fading to the page edges, and foxing throughout. Good condition. 

Please review all photos closely and reach out with any questions.