FABLES, ORIGINAL AND SELECTED: First Series (and) Second Series

2 volumes, small octavo, uniform brick red morocco by Riviere & Son, marbled endsheets, top edges gilt. viii, 272; liv, 241 pp. Illustrated with engraved frontispiece, 183 wood-engraved vignettes, and 100 wood engraved initials in first volume); 177 wood-engraved vignettes and 101 wood-engraved initials in second volume. Bound in to first volume opposite the first page is a facsimile of a manuscript letter dated 19 July, 1828 from Thomas Bewick to George Lawford thanking the publisher for the gift of a copy of Northcote's "Fables," which he describes as an "altogether brilliant book." James Northcote (1746-1831) was a prolific English painter and draftsman whose career was much advanced through his apprenticeship with Joshua Reynolds, for whom he worked for about 5 years, beginning in 1771. In his foreword to the first volume of Fables, Northcote states: "Although the original invention and designs for the prints at the head of each Fable are my own, yet they have been most excellently drawn on wood, and prepared for the Engravers, by Mr. William Harvey, one of the most distinguished artists in his profession . . ." William Harvey (1796-1866) was apprenticed at an early age to Thomas Bewick and helped him with the woodcuts for Bewick's "Aesop's Fables" (published in 1818). Reportedly, Northcote's technique for creating the vignettes involved clipping "figures of animals out of all kinds of books, papers, &c., and selecting such as fitted the fable to be embellished, pasted them down to paper in the required places, filling in backgrounds with his pencil. The designs thus made were freely interpreted by the engraver." (Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers." Harvey himself designed the initial letters and tailpieces. The index to illustrations at rear of each volume names the engravers who actually carved the blocks. Ray 56. 2 previous owner bookplates to inside of front cover of first volume, 1 bookplate inside volume 2, else fine. Third edition of First Series, First edition of Second Series.…