For the Curious Young Gentlemen and Ladies, that study and practise the noble and commendable art of drawing, colouring and japanning, a new and compleat drawing-book; Consisting of Variety of Classes, viz. Whole Figures in divers Positions, and all the several Parts of the Human Body from Head to Foot; light, airy, loose Landskips; Perspective Views of Sea-Ports, Forts, Ruins, &c. Being the close study, for a Series of Years, of the late Mr. Lens, Miniature-Painter, and Drawing-Master to Christ's-Hospital. In sixty-two copper-plates, engraved by himself. Designed chiefly for young Beginners, and now published from the Author's Originals, very necessary and useful for all Drawing-Schools, Boarding-Schools, &c. &c. To which is prefixed an in

Oblong 4to, [2], 21, [1, blank]pp., engraved portrait frontispiece and a further 62 copper engraved plates, some minor staining but overall very clean a fresh, new end-papers, re-cased in orig. blue paper wrappers, housed in a custom-made quarter calf slip-case, red morocco title label, spine gilt, a nice copy. "An important moment in the introduction of drawing into civilian education came in the last decade of the seventeenth century when drawing was included in two of the curriculums of the London charity school, Christ's Hospital. At the urging of two prominent members of the governing board, Samuel Pepys and Sir Christopher Wren, a drawing master, William Faithhorne (1656-1701?) was hired. He was discharged in 1696 and was eventually succeeded by Bernard Lens II (1659-1725) who proved his worthiness to the governors by sketching landscapes. He in turn was succeeded by his son Edward Lens in 1726. We may get some rough idea of Edward Lens's methods of instruction from a drawing book published in 1750 which contains sixty-two copper plates of decorative and landscape subjects. The mixed nature of the illustrations may perhaps be explained by the fact that the book was expected to serve two constituencies. Its delineations of figures and decorative motifs would have been useful to students of the Writing School; its depictions of coastlines and landscape would have served the needs of the Mathematical School students."Bermingham, Learning to Draw, 2000. p. 85 & 88. First published in 1750 with further edition in 1751, 1752 and 1766. All edition are extremely rare, of this 1766 edition ESTC records just two copies (Bodleian & Library Company of Philadelphia); JISC adding the V&A copy.…