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Rambles of an Archæologist Among Old Books and in Old Places

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About this book

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.

About the author

F. W. Fairholt

Frederick William Fairholt (1814–1866) was an English wood-engraver and antiquary, born in London to a family of German descent. He produced hundreds of drawings on wood for Charles Knight's illustrated publications and for editions of Shakespeare, and was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1844.

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