In the Original Cloth, Almost Never Seen this Nice

JOURNAL OF SENTIMENTAL TRAVELS IN THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES OF FRANCE.

ROWLANDSON, THOMAS, Illustrator. COMBE, WILLIAM.

(London: R. Ackerman, 1821-22). 255 x 160 mm. (10 x 6 1/4). 1 p.l., ii, 291, [1] pp. Without the two leaves of advertisements at the end, which Tooley notes are usually missing. FIRST EDITION, Second Issue.

Publisher's orange blind-stamped cloth, covers with decorative frame, smooth spine divided into panels with gilt strapwork ornament or gilt lettering, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. WITH 18 HAND-COLORED AQUATINT PLATES by Rowlandson. Front pastedown with engraved armorial bookplate of F. Reddaway; front free endpaper with 19th century ink signature of "Devereux Nichols"[?]. Tooley 415; Hardie, p. 313; Abbey Travel 89. ◆Backstrip faintly sunned, a little offsetting from plates, other trivial imperfections, but A FINE COPY, clean and fresh internally, and the binding about as clean and with blind impressions about as sharp as one could hope for.

Offered in its infrequently seen original cloth binding and featuring plates by one of England's most esteemed caricaturists, this is a very well-preserved example of a charming British color-plate book that takes us on a satirical romp through southern France before the Revolution. Publisher R. Ackermann specialized in books such as the present work, combining light prose and poetry with charming illustrations. Hiring such talents as Thomas Rowlandson, William Combe (known for his Dr. Syntax stories), Francis Wrangham, and the architect and writer, J. B. Papworth, Ackermann issued popular color-plate books depicting picturesque scenery and character sketches. A painter whose special forte was caricature, Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827) illustrated his subjects with pen drawings that captured the foibles and fashions of his day. In the words of DNB, Rowlandson's "illustrated books underline [his] extraordinary range. He was as much a master of the lyrical watercolour of rolling countryside as of the incisive caricature. A specialist in urban topography, though more interested in the picturesque than in exactitude, he was portraitist, social commentator, and sporting artist. Above all, he revelled in the comedy of everyday life, emphasizing the ridiculous and the ribald in his inventions, poking fun but avoiding emotion and satire." William Combe (1741-1823), satirist, journalist, and society man, had travelled in his younger years with Sterne on the second lap of his "Sentimental Journey." An author who specialized in writing verses made to order for the creations of comic artists, he was just the man to provide the textual accompaniment for Rowlandson here. (ST20091)

Price: $1,500.00