Florence by Hare, Augustus J. C - 1890

London: George Allen. Good+ with No dust jacket as issued. 1890. Third Edition. First Printing. Hard Cover. Publisher's full white vellum, embossed gilt fleur-de-lis on cover, gilt lettering and elaborate embossed gilt decoration on spine, gilt border and decoration on covers, gilt dentelles, gilt decorated endpapers, a.e.g. Profusely illustrated with b&w drawings by the author and tipped-in b&w photographs mounted on vellum. Augustus John Cuthbert Hare (1834-1903) was an English writer and raconteur. Hare was the author of a large number of books, which fall into two classes: biographies of members and connections of his family, and descriptive and historical accounts of various countries and cities. To the first belong Memorials of a Quiet Life (about his adoptive mother), Story of Two Noble Lives (about Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning and Louisa Beresford, Marchioness of Waterford, sisters and artists), The Gurneys of Earlham (about the bankers and social reformers of Earlham Hall near Norwich), and an autobiography in six volumes. He also compiled numerous travel books such as Florence, Walks in Rome, Walks in London, Wanderings in Spain, Cities of Northern, Southern, and Central Italy (separate works), Days near Rome and Sussex. In his biography of Somerset Maugham, writer Ted Morgan mentions that Hare, whom he refers to as "the last Victorian," befriended Maugham who became a frequent guest at his country house, Holmhurst in Baldslow, Sussex.. Frontispiece is slightly loose, white covers mildly soiled, pages are slightly rippled with moderate foxing, former owner's name, date and city (Florence) written on ffep and printed bookplate on fep. All of the tipped-in photographs and maps are clean and bright. GOOD+.. B&W drawings and photographs. 12mo 7" - 7½" tall. 256 pp .