A Modern Syntax (1 results)

hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. The Adventures of Doctor Comicus or The Frolicks of Fortune, A Modern Syntax â" First Edition Publication: London, B. Blake, 1815 Formatting: 8vo, pp. [ii], 269, [i]. Condition Report: Very Good. The binding is a handsome, likely later, full panelled calf with blind-tooled borders and corner fleurons, featuring a contrasting central panel and a red morocco title label to a raised spine. The binding is tight and secure, showing only minor superficial shelf-wear. The interior features attractive marbled endpapers and untrimmed page edges. The text block is generally clean, though some light spotting, age-toning, and offsetting can be expected given the period. Notably, this copy contains the hand-coloured aquatint frontispiece, the extra engraved title page, and twelve hand-coloured plates, lacking plate 10 ('Shaving the Doctor'). Overall, a highly attractive, robustly bound copy of this scarce parody, presenting exceedingly well on the shelf despite the single missing plate. Catalogue Note: This is the first edition of The Adventures of Doctor Comicus, one of the earliest and most successful parodies of William Combe's immensely popular Doctor Syntax tours. Written under the pseudonym "A Modern Syntax," the work consciously mirrored the episodic, mock-heroic verse of Combe's originals to capitalize on the public's appetite for the genre. The spirited hand-coloured aquatints, often attributed to Thomas Illman or imitating the style of Thomas Rowlandson, are an essential feature of the satire, capturing the exaggerated follies of Regency life. This copy includes the extra engraved title page and frontispiece alongside twelve coloured plates. Bibliographically identified via Abbey Life 255 and Tooley 431, early printings of this imitation are increasingly scarce on the open market, particularly when housed in such a distinguished panelled calf binding. The Adventures of Doctor Comicus offers a hilarious, satirical romp through Regency England, following the misadventures of a haplessly ambitious country doctor. Penned as a direct spoof of the famous Doctor Syntax series, this comic poem chronicles the doctor's quest for a wealthy wife and an escape from his mundane village life. Filled with riotous hand-coloured aquatint illustrations, it is a delightful piece of 19th-century comic heritage that sharply skewers the social pretensions and eccentricities of the era. Thomas Rowlandson (Style of) (illustrator).…