8vo. 246pp, [1]. With an engraved frontispiece. Finely bound by Giulio Giannini of Florence (ticket to verso of FFEP) in contemporary hand-painted vellum; lilac boards, gilt lion rampant, floral motifs, and red fleur-de-lis to upper board, central gilt flower motif to lower board.

An elegant copy of the first Continental edition of poet and journalist Sir Edwin Arnold's (1832-1904) versified account of the life and teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. The book, first published in 1879, proved immensely popular and did much to promote Buddhist culture in the West; there were sixty editions in England and eighty in America.

The curious binding, the design of which is entirely unrelated to the contents, was executed by renowned Florentine bookbinders Giulio Giannini. The firm, established in 1856, remains in operation to this day.