ST. JOHN HOPE, William Henry (1854-1919). Cowdray and Easebourne Priory in the County of Sussex, London, 1919, plates and plans, original half vellum. FIRST EDITION, ONE OF 400 COPIES. INSCRIBED BY LORD COWDRAY.

ST. JOHN HOPE, William Henry (1854-1919).  Cowdray and Easebourne Priory in the County of Sussex. London: Country Life, 1919. Folio (365 x 250mm). Half title, mounted coloured portrait frontispiece of Sir William Fitzwilliam, title printed in red and black, 53 plates and plans, including 2 folding and one printed in colours, tables (some light spotting and staining to text but plates and plans generally very clean). Original half vellum, spine lettered in gilt, others uncut (some staining and scuffing, foot of spine frayed). FIRST EDITION. NUMBER 14 OF 400 COPIES. PRESENTATION COPY, the front free endpaper inscribed, "To [illegible name - possibly Mark], with love + all greetings, Cowdray, Xmas 1920." The inscription is probably in the hand of the 2nd Viscount Cowdray (1882-1933) who was responsible for the laying out of the Polo grounds at Cowdray in 1910. The architect Aston Webb provided the Preface to the work after the untimely death of the author in 1919.