The Comic History of England, 2 volumes (De Luxe Edition)
À BECKETT, Gilbert Abbott (illus. John Leech). The Comic History of England. London: Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., [n.d., c.1864–1881]. 2 vols.
Quarto. Original publisher's blue cloth, covers and spines gilt. Vol. I: xviii, 432 pp.; Vol. II: xiv, 416 pp. Title pages printed in red and black. 20 hand-coloured steel-engraved plates (10 per volume) and approximately 200 woodcut illustrations throughout by John Leech. Edition de Luxe. Tooley 295–297.
Gilbert Abbott À Beckett was one of the great comic writers of the Victorian period — a barrister, police magistrate, contributor to The Times and the Morning Herald, and one of the original staff of Punch from its foundation in 1841. The Comic History of England, first published in monthly parts by the Punch Office between 1846 and 1848, was his most celebrated work, and its success was inseparable from the illustrations of John Leech, who brought to it exactly the quality of genial, affectionate mockery that À Beckett's text demanded. Leech was the pre-eminent comic illustrator of his generation — the artist who more than any other defined the visual language of Punch, and who had already shown his command of historical burlesque in his illustrations for The Ingoldsby Legends. His twenty hand-coloured etchings for the Comic History — from the bewildered dignity of Julius Caesar confronting the ancient Britons to the theatrical agonies of the Wars of the Roses — are among his finest plates, and the approximately two hundred woodcut illustrations that accompany the text maintain the same standard of invention throughout. The history itself runs from the Roman invasion to the accession of George III, treating each episode with the gentle erudition and deadpan wit that made the work one of the most widely read popular histories of the Victorian age. Bradbury, Agnew & Co.'s undated Edition de Luxe, in large quarto format, is the handsomest presentation of the text.
Good. Spines of both volumes shelf darkened. Rubbing and wear to edges and corners of both volumes. Contents near fine and excellently preserved. A hint of toning to the edges of some pages. Coloured plates bright and bold, beautifully preserved.
This book is currently not on display in store. If you would like more information or to arrange a viewing, please contact: [email protected]
Catalogue Number: HH000465
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The Comic History of England, 2 volumes (De Luxe Edition)
The Comic History of England, 2 volumes (De Luxe Edition)
À BECKETT, Gilbert Abbott (illus. John Leech). The Comic History of England. London: Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., [n.d., c.1864–1881]. 2 vols.
Quarto. Original publisher's blue cloth, covers and spines gilt. Vol. I: xviii, 432 pp.; Vol. II: xiv, 416 pp. Title pages printed in red and black. 20 hand-coloured steel-engraved plates (10 per volume) and approximately 200 woodcut illustrations throughout by John Leech. Edition de Luxe. Tooley 295–297.
Gilbert Abbott À Beckett was one of the great comic writers of the Victorian period — a barrister, police magistrate, contributor to The Times and the Morning Herald, and one of the original staff of Punch from its foundation in 1841. The Comic History of England, first published in monthly parts by the Punch Office between 1846 and 1848, was his most celebrated work, and its success was inseparable from the illustrations of John Leech, who brought to it exactly the quality of genial, affectionate mockery that À Beckett's text demanded. Leech was the pre-eminent comic illustrator of his generation — the artist who more than any other defined the visual language of Punch, and who had already shown his command of historical burlesque in his illustrations for The Ingoldsby Legends. His twenty hand-coloured etchings for the Comic History — from the bewildered dignity of Julius Caesar confronting the ancient Britons to the theatrical agonies of the Wars of the Roses — are among his finest plates, and the approximately two hundred woodcut illustrations that accompany the text maintain the same standard of invention throughout. The history itself runs from the Roman invasion to the accession of George III, treating each episode with the gentle erudition and deadpan wit that made the work one of the most widely read popular histories of the Victorian age. Bradbury, Agnew & Co.'s undated Edition de Luxe, in large quarto format, is the handsomest presentation of the text.
Good. Spines of both volumes shelf darkened. Rubbing and wear to edges and corners of both volumes. Contents near fine and excellently preserved. A hint of toning to the edges of some pages. Coloured plates bright and bold, beautifully preserved.
This book is currently not on display in store. If you would like more information or to arrange a viewing, please contact: [email protected]
Catalogue Number: HH000465
Original: $140.70
-65%$140.70
$49.24Product Information
Product Information
Shipping & Returns
Shipping & Returns
Description
À BECKETT, Gilbert Abbott (illus. John Leech). The Comic History of England. London: Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., [n.d., c.1864–1881]. 2 vols.
Quarto. Original publisher's blue cloth, covers and spines gilt. Vol. I: xviii, 432 pp.; Vol. II: xiv, 416 pp. Title pages printed in red and black. 20 hand-coloured steel-engraved plates (10 per volume) and approximately 200 woodcut illustrations throughout by John Leech. Edition de Luxe. Tooley 295–297.
Gilbert Abbott À Beckett was one of the great comic writers of the Victorian period — a barrister, police magistrate, contributor to The Times and the Morning Herald, and one of the original staff of Punch from its foundation in 1841. The Comic History of England, first published in monthly parts by the Punch Office between 1846 and 1848, was his most celebrated work, and its success was inseparable from the illustrations of John Leech, who brought to it exactly the quality of genial, affectionate mockery that À Beckett's text demanded. Leech was the pre-eminent comic illustrator of his generation — the artist who more than any other defined the visual language of Punch, and who had already shown his command of historical burlesque in his illustrations for The Ingoldsby Legends. His twenty hand-coloured etchings for the Comic History — from the bewildered dignity of Julius Caesar confronting the ancient Britons to the theatrical agonies of the Wars of the Roses — are among his finest plates, and the approximately two hundred woodcut illustrations that accompany the text maintain the same standard of invention throughout. The history itself runs from the Roman invasion to the accession of George III, treating each episode with the gentle erudition and deadpan wit that made the work one of the most widely read popular histories of the Victorian age. Bradbury, Agnew & Co.'s undated Edition de Luxe, in large quarto format, is the handsomest presentation of the text.
Good. Spines of both volumes shelf darkened. Rubbing and wear to edges and corners of both volumes. Contents near fine and excellently preserved. A hint of toning to the edges of some pages. Coloured plates bright and bold, beautifully preserved.
This book is currently not on display in store. If you would like more information or to arrange a viewing, please contact: [email protected]
Catalogue Number: HH000465
