exploring past releases 1: Stanhope's Letters to his Son

Over the last few months, while contemplating the recent Folio prices for both product and shipping, I decided to do a little experiment. I skimmed through the old prospectuses and catalogs, taking note of older books which satisfied a few criteria:

• Lack of personal familiarity


• Attractive binding


• That I would want to read

Then I trawled the secondary market to see if any of them were available in fine condition at a good price. Based on this choice Venn diagram, I ordered a handful of books and they have started to trickle in. First up is Stanhope's Letters to His Son (1973). The price I paid was $21 + $12 USD for shipping; $33 USD total (rounding all prices up). I don't see any discussion of this title searching the board, so I figured y'all might appreciate an overview. This also shows the quality you can get in older "standard" editions.

I believe this is printed letterpress (Monotype Baskerville), using two colors, with display and wood engravings (by Richard Shirley Smith) in brown. The paper is nicely textured Antique Laid and the boards are covered with hand-marbled Cockerell paper.

















The slipcase also arrived in perfect condition, though it is on the thin side and unremarkable, so I didn't bother to post any pictures.

---

Abysswalker explores past releases:

1. Stanhope's Letters to his Son (1973)


2. The Happy Captive (1977)

My criteria:

• Lack of personal familiarity


• Reasonably attractive binding


• Fine condition


• Good price


• That I would want to read

>1 abysswalker: That looks marvelous! Good pickup there

Many thanks for this. This was one of the new books that I bought in my first year with Folio, and it's still on my shelves after nearly fifty years. Dr Johnson may well have been on target when he said that the letters "teach the morals of a whore and the manners of a dancing master", but they're a wonderful read all the same.

Thanks for the interesting post! Have you read the book? Is it a good read?

Last night I went through the mailed version of the Folio Spring 2021 Collection.
There was nothing there I would want as much as this one. I've only read an excerpt or two from Lord Chesterfield's letters but, since finding an essay on them by Temple Scott privately printed in an edition of 200 in 1929 which I picked up for a pittance, I've been interested in finding a decent version.
Thanks for posting and I hope to find a copy almost as good.

>4 RRCBS: the Stanhope is currently a couple places down on my queue, but I should have thoughts to report in a few days.

The paraphrase by Samuel Johnson mentioned in a comment above increases my confidence that I made a good choice.

>4 RRCBS: I haven’t read the full text yet, but as letters of 1-4 book pages each the volume makes a nice occasional diversion from other longer readings.

The content and tone is pragmatic wisdom with a light but nonmalicious undertone of cynicism regarding human nature.

I am enjoying it, especially in a nicely printed form. Stanhope has a nice turn of phrase if you don’t mind the old fashioned flourishes; he did write in the eighteenth century, so taken in context I think his writing is not at all stuffy.

I could see the writing coming across as a bit too “common sense” to a reader with a great natural reserve of the same; personally, I could probably do with a bit more common sense and pragmatism so I don’t find this unwelcome.