Marius the Epicurean. By Walter Pater. Limited Edition. Philip Lee Warner Publisher. London, 1913.

Walter Pater was a prominent nineteenth century art critic who advanced Aestheticism, especially in his commentary on painting, poetry, and prose. In fact, many consider him a foundational figure across the entire Aesthetic Movement. Without Pater, our modern tastes in the arts would not be what they are today. For example, he is largely credited with the cultural elevation of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. He published one of the most flattering descriptions of the painting in the 1870s which became a continually cited piece after the Mona Lisa was infamously stolen in 1911. The salacious details of the theft and Pater’s glowing remarks made the painting more internationally recognized as one of the greatest pieces of art in world history. But that’s just an aside. In Marius the Epicurean: His Sensations and Ideas, Pater applies his tastes and knowledge of art to fiction. It is his most significant work of fiction, a novel that stands out for its intertextual qualities. That is, it contains portions of translated texts from antiquity as well as Pater’s own narrative. This limited edition from 1913 celebrates the work over a decade after Pater’s death, at a time when artists and critics looked back on his body of work with particular fondness. It is one of just 1,000 copies printed.

This limited edition set is in about-fine condition. In the original quarter cloth, about-fine with only minor bumping to spine ends, fading to spines, and foxing to paper over boards, more prominently on volume two. Text blocks near-fine, only minor soiling to edges. Top edges gilt. Bookmarks sewn in.

An about-fine limited edition set by Walter Pater.