Set of five Sporting Novels with hand coloured illustrations by John Leech Mr Sponge’s Sporting Tour / Handley Cross / Ask Mama / Plain or Ringlets / Mr Romford’s Hounds

A lovely collection of these Sporting novels, 80 hand coloured illustrations (plus a further 4 unlisted but hand coloured title vignettes). Uniform half morocco with patterned cloth boards. Gilt titles and decorations to spine. The bindings are in very good condition, with a little unobtrusive rubbing only. Internally, the books are all in good, clean condition. The hand coloured plates are attractive, with a little intermittent foxing only. A very nice group of Victorian illustrated hunting books. Unsure of edition, but from the titles listed to title pages, it would seem that these are all later editions. Each of the works is complete, with all illustrations as called for: Mr Sponge’s Sporting Tour (1853). 13 coloured illustrations. xii, 408. pp.; Handley Cross (1854). 17 coloured illustrations. x, 550. One plate (p 407) has been trimmed so as to be smaller than the page (although still outside the image). Ask Mama (1858). 13 coloured illustrations, xii, 412, pp; Plain or Ringlets (1860). 13 coloured illustrations. x, 406. pp (nb. One of the list of coloured plates is for the title vignette. This is not counted in the other volumes); Mr Romford’s Hounds (1865). 24 coloured illustrations. viii, 322. pp; 230 by 150mm (9 by 6 inches). .…