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The Life and Deeds of Earl Roberts by J. Maclaren Cobban is a substantial four-volume Edwardian biography celebrating the career of Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts one of the most influential British commanders of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Issued in 1901 during the closing phase of the South African War, The Life and Deeds of Earl Roberts captures the contemporary imperial view of Roberts' leadership, documenting his campaigns in India, Afghanistan, and southern Africa with a mixture of narrative history, personal reflection, and strategic commentary. For collectors of Anglo-Boer War material, The Life and Deeds of Earl Roberts offers an authentic period perspective shaped by the politics and patriotism of its time.
Illustrated with portraits, plates, and fold-out maps, the series was produced as a prestige biographical tribute, and remains a desirable shelf set within British military history collecting. The decorative gilt bindings and multi-volume format give The Life and Deeds of Earl Roberts strong display appeal, while the detailed accounts of campaigns and personalities make it a rewarding primary-era reference.
Today, The Life and Deeds of Earl Roberts is sought after by collectors of imperial militaria, Boer War history, and early twentieth-century British biography, standing as both a historical record and a classic example of Edwardian commemorative publishing.
Condition - Very Good
A complete four-volume set bound in the publisher's original dark red cloth, each cover featuring the decorative gilt portrait roundel of Earl Roberts. The bindings remain firm and present well on the shelf, with the gilt designs and spine titles still largely clear. General age-related wear is evident throughout, including mild fading to the spines and light rubbing at the head and tail. Volume I shows fading to the lower right corner of the front board, likely from historic moisture exposure, while Volume III displays more notable moisture marking to the spine, softening the clarity of the gilt decoration though the title remains readable. Some sun fading is also visible to the upper cover of Volume III.
The gilt text block edges remain attractive overall, retaining a bright appearance despite scattered ink blotching to the fore-edges and occasional marks to the cloth. Prior ownership labels are present on the endpapers of each volume, with an additional ownership mark to the verso of the frontispiece in Volume IV. Internally, foxing is present to varying degrees, consistent with the period.
Illustrations are largely complete; however, the colour plate at page 96 in Volume I is lacking, as are the black-and-white plates at pages 128 and 152 in Volume IV. Fold-out maps in Volumes I and IV remain present. Taken as a whole, this is an honest and displayable early twentieth-century military biography set best suited to collectors and readers seeking an original period example rather than a fine or investment-grade copy.
