BINDING - Charles WELCH (1848-1924). History of the Tower Bridge and of other Bridges over the Thames, London, 1894. 4to, plates, VERY FINELY BOUND by Zaehnsdorf in elaborate scarlet morocco. Provenance: W. A. FOYLE, BEELEIGH ABBEY (bookplate).

BINDING - Charles WELCH (1848-1924).  History of the Tower Bridge and of other Bridges over the Thames built by the Corporation of London. London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1894. 4to (281 x 215mm). Half title, frontispiece, title printed in red and black, plates and illustrations. VERY FINELY BOUND by Zaehnsdorf in full contemporary scarlet pictorial morocco, elaborately decorated in gilt with an illustration of Tower Bridge stamped in gilt on the upper cover, the year 1176 [the year construction started on the first stone version of London Bridge] above, and the year 1894 [the year Tower Bridge was completed] below, with a wide foliate border incorporating four illustrations of other London bridges in roundels at each corner and armorial motifs including the Bridge Mark, symbol of the Bridge House Estates, the Bridge Mark repeated on the lower cover within a garland, gilt edges, dentelles, watered silk liners (corners rubbed, two very small white ink stains on the lower cover). Provenance: W. A. FOYLE, BEELEIGH ABBEY (morocco armorial bookplate, from Christie's sale on 13 July, 2000, part of lot 846); a 2-page autograph letter tipped-in at the front, from Charles Welch, Guildhall Librarian, to Sir George Tyler, sending the book as a gift and stating how it is "... bound specially and in similar style to that of the copy which, as Lord Mayor, you presented on behalf of the Corporation to H. R. H. the Prince of Wales ..."