Pages & Petals Bookstore
Rare collectible- Altemus’ Edition- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge illustrated by Gustave Dore
Rare collectible- Altemus’ Edition- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge illustrated by Gustave Dore
Couldn't load pickup availability
This is an Altemus’ Edition of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, illustrated by Gustave Doré & edited by Henry C. Walsh. Published by Henry Altemus in Philadelphia, circa 1889, this folio edition features elaborate gilt cloth binding, gilt text, & spectacular illustrations. There are 40 detailed woodcut plates by Doré, each facing a page of poetry. This edition is prized for the quality and quantity of its Victorian-era illustrations, which are often lush, dramatic, & deeply atmospheric.
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is one of the great epic poems of English literature. The story follows an old mariner who stops a guest on his way to a wedding and tells him a haunting tale of a doomed sea voyage. After the mariner inexplicably kills an albatross—a bird seen as a good omen—the ship and its crew suffer supernatural consequences. The sailors hang the dead bird around his neck in punishment. The ship is beset by storms, spirits, and ghostly visions, and while the crew members perish, the mariner himself endures severe suffering and longing for forgiveness. After supernatural intervention, he is eventually rescued, but compelled to wander the earth, repeatedly retelling his cautionary tale about the dangers of disrespecting nature & the possibility of redemption.










