Rambles of an Archæologist Among Old Books and in Old Places

These illustrated papers, first written for the Art-Journal, were gathered into a single volume in 1871, five years after Frederick William Fairholt’s death. The essays wander through the decorative and applied arts of many centuries: heraldry, enamelling, mosaic, and metalwork in the opening survey, then a study of grotesque ornament from Egyptian and Roman craft through the medieval period. Longer chapters follow, one crowded with the history and lore of finger-rings, another on ancient brooches and dress fastenings from Greek, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Celtic hands, and a closing account of Albert Dürer and his age. Fairholt wrote as an antiquary and wood-engraver who prized close observation, and the book rewards readers curious about how everyday objects carried the design ideas of their time.