CRAIG, Maurice. Dublin 1660-1860. Illustrated with 18 figures in the text, 80 plates. SIGNED LIMITED EDITION OF 90 COPIES ONLY

Dublin: Liberties Press, 2009. Octavo. pp. 384. Black paper boards, titled in gilt. Ninetieth birthday limited edition of 90 numbered copies, signed by Maurice Craig. A fine copy in fine dust jacket.
When the Duke of Ormonde arrived in Dublin as Viceroy in 1662, the city’s population was only nine thousand; yet a golden age of architecture had dawned. Even today, it is the Dublin ‘classical tradition’ that gives the city its distinct flavour. In this colourful and witty survey, first published in 1952 and now recognised as a classic, Maurice Craig traces two full centuries of building, with many a sideways glance at the political, literary and social scenes. A dignified, harmonious and recognisably ‘Georgian’ style, he suggests, survived into the age of the great railway termini; it petered out only with the ‘slow decay and fitful growth’ of the later nineteenth century. Despite the efforts of post-war developers, much of this magnificent heritage remains intact. Lively descriptions, drawings and numerous plates make Dublin 1660-1860 an invaluable guide for all visitors to Dublin; it also forms a superb celebration of something that is truly unique - ‘the Augustan capital of a Gaelic nation’.
This classic work is handsomely produced. Maurice Craig said of this work: “It was well received, but, more importantly, it got me my London job when I brought a proof copy in to the interview”.
“A most eloquent tribute to the most beautiful of surviving Georgian cities” - The Observer.

[Cat 160]