William Roscoe Preface (3 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Folio. Half leather and matching cloth with a gorgeous spine with raised bands and intricate and beautiful gilt and black designs in the compartments. Armorial bookplate of Hercules Rowley with the motto "Bear and Forbear." The book contains the 20-page preface by William Roscoe and 52 stipple engravings of famous Britons, each preceded by a one-page biography. The book seems to have been bound without a title page. The engravings are dated 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, and 1822. The engravings begin with King George III and Queen Charlotte, include notable figures from various fields, and are not in alphabetical order. Among the notables are William Pitt, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Joseph Banks, Joshua Reynolds, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and William Cowper. Slight scuffing and edge wear, slight foxing, Very Good Plus. Nice condition. The British Gallery of Contemporary Portraits is one of the last major projects to use stipple engravings. This volume may require extra postage.

Hard back binding in publisher's original russet cloth covered boards, blocked and lettered gilt back, rear end paper printer Chiswick Press repeated in centre page as colophon with sizeable full early trademark of standing lion holding shield, mahogany end papers. Quarto. 9½'' x 6¾''. Contains (xxxvi) with monochrome woodcut, 589 pp, hare and ivy and animal woodcut headers, ivy capital letters. Rubbing to the spine caps and corners, front end paper cracked but holding, foxing to the early end papers and not beyond the preface. Member of the P.B.F.A. BOOKS (Binding, Collecting, Printing, Paper).

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Second Edition. 2 volumes bound in contemporary red morocco over marbled boards. Six spine bands with gilt lettering. Hinges and text blocks are tight & intact. Unpaginated: verso of every plate is blank. Illustrated with 150 exquisite captioned engravings with biographical sections on the following page[s]. They show members of the royal family, nobility, bishops, admirals, politicians, writers, artists and others, and include some Royal Academicians. Interior is bright & clean with only occasional toning/spotting, mostly light. Covers have light to moderate scuffing on edges & marbled boards: corners rubbed. Small private bookplate & bookplate of Hackley Public Library in front of each volume. Handwritten Initials "HPL" on upper corner of each plate's verso. Library marking at foot of spines. PUBLICATION HISTORY *from the Royal Academy*: The work was originally published in 3 volumes dated 1813 (60 plates) , 1813 (60 plates) , & 1822 (30 plates). The 1813 advertisement for vol 1 states " A Number is published every two Months, containing six Portraits, each accompanied by a short Biographical Notice . Left unnumbered, in order that each Subscriber may form his own arrangement. The plates dated from 1809 through 1822 give the names of the source-artists, draughtsmen and engravers. And also carry carry the publishers' imprint (in most cases that of T. Cadell and W. Davies; in the latest numbers that of T. Cadell only as W. Davies, died in 1820)." Great Britain, Biography ; Large Folio (22" x 15").