Comical Characters, First Edition (4 results)

Soft cover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Softcover, small oblong 8vo. No date: circa late 1800s. Sis pages. Illustrated wraps. Six pages of seaside-related cartoons, several to a page. Very rare--No WorldCat listings. wall.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. First Edition. 192p octavo, bound in later 3/4 leather and cloth, binding mearely hanging on. Contents foxed but good. Needa a rebind. Scarce.

Hardcover. Small 8vo. Rebound in full burgundy calf with gilt spine lettering and compartments. (8pp), 359pp, (3pp), 158pp, (2pp), 64pp. Engraved title page, 3 full-page engravings. Very good. Faintly age toned, but largely free from foxing and edge chips. Tight, attractive first edition of the collected works of the noted French novelist, poet and dramatist (1610-60) in perhaps turn-of-the-century (ca. 1900) handsome binding. Notes the title page, "Translated by Mr. Tho.[mas] Brown, Mr. [John] Savage, and Others" -- the "and Others" referring to the first important English translation of Scarron, John Bulteel's 1665 translation of "The Comical Romance." John Davies of Kidwelly, Wales, even earlier translated and published eight Scarron tales, but this 1700 edition does not make clear in its "The Booksellers to the Readers" explanation precisely which of these translations were used; they do claim on title page that "A Great Part [of this edition] of which never before in English." The first part contains Scarron's large "Comical Romance," the second part five short tales and the third part a selection of his letters. Front flyleaf bears engraved 18th century armorial bookplate of the Scottish clan Halkett ("Fides Sufficit," faith is sufficient) numbering this volume and dating it "1717"; front flyleaf bears the 1928 bookplate of noted Chicago attorney Seymour J. Frank, a well-known Lincoln and Civil War scholar. Scarce -- and popular enough that a second edition was published in 1703, a third in 1712 and fourth in 1727. A superb first edition with many of the first translations into English.

First edition. 8vo. Signatures. A1-8, b1-8, B1-N8. Collation: Title page, [ix] Dedication, [i] blank, xiv A Character of Mr. Thomas Browne., [ii] contents, [iv] publisher's adverts, 192pp. Some slight worming to top inside corner, mostly in margin so hardly affecting text, small chip to top of title page professionally repaired. Handsomely and recently rebound in full speckled brown polished calf, ruled in blind, red leather lettering piece. New endpapers though retaining one original blank endpaper leaf at rear. A remarkably clean and fresh copy of this famous work by the man responsible for the line "I do not like thee Dr. Fell." and well known satirist and libertine of his time. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica gives this verdict: "He was the author of a great variety of poems, letters, dialogues and lampoons, full of humour and erudition, but coarse and scurrilous. His writings have a certain value for the knowledge they display of low life in London." Presently the best description of Brown's legacy may be that of Joseph Addison, who accorded him the appellation "T-m Br-wn of facetious Memory".