In 1740 John Hely, a student at Trinity College Dublin, won this copy of Virgil’s works for coming first in Classics. The printed text was of standard quality, but the book was made attractive by the addition of this characteristic red binding with gold tooling. These ‘Trinity prize bindings’ are now highly valued by collectors.  

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Citation:

Virgil, Opera (Dublin, 1724).

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Marsh's Library Exhibits: ‘Ragged, Livid, & On Fire: The Wanderings of Melmoth at 200’ curated by Christina Morin and Jason McElligott,
accessed July 1, 2025,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/Melmoth/item/760