To himself. In English by Gerald Rendall.

12mo.

Green morocco [not signed but by Charles Morrell], covers orn. with a large central "Scottish Wheel" design of 20 compartments containing slender and elegant floral tools between two lines of dots radiating from a central rosette, massed tiny circle tools at head and foot of wheel, a triangle formed by small scalloped compartments and multiple tiny flowers above and below the centerpiece, many small tools accenting the background, matching gilt spine with 5 raised bands (sl. rubbed, upper joint partly rubbed and fragile), ivory moire silk endleaves in gilt orn. green morocco frame, a.e.g.

First edition in the "Golden Treasury Series" of this translation of the "Thoughts" of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Illustrated with an engraved frontispiece. Very nice specimen of binding by Charles Morrell, son and successor of William Turner Morrell. "The London bindery of W. T. Morrell [1840-1880] was established ca. 1861 as successor to the firm begun by Francis Bedford, who, in turn, had taken over the famous bindery of Charles Lewis. Prideaux, in Modern Bookbindings (1906), says that Morrell at that time had a very large business that supplied "all the booksellers with bindings designed by his men [...] remarkable for their variety and merit". This "Wheel" pattern is reminiscent of the "Wheel" bindings originally produced in Scotland in the 18th c. and was used several times by the Morrells on various volumes.
Ref. Binding visible in the Data Base of Bookbinding, The British Library, Pattern book of the bookbinder William Turner Morrell. - Stephen J. Gertz, in Booktryst, Bookseller's cat., October 26, 2011, on line.