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356 x 293 mm. (14 x 11 1/2"). iv, [2], 172 pp. HANDSOME PERIOD-STYLE RED STRAIGHT-GRAIN MOROCCO, covers with large diamond-shaped design ruled in gilt, floral and foliate tools at each corner, raised bands, compartments with similar gilt design as the covers, gilt lettering, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. With 24 hand-colored aquatint plates, one folding engraved map, and two hand-colored aquatint vignettes. Front pastedown with the bookplate of Moncure Biddle (1882-1956). Abbey Scenery 435; Tooley 503; Prideaux, "Aquatint Engraving," pp. 268-69; Hardie, p. 110; Adams 157. â Binding with insignificant signs of use, perhaps a third of the plates with a whisper of offsetting from the text (but then, of course, two-thirds of the plates with no offsetting at all), isolated trivial foxing, but an extremely attractive copy--quite clean and fresh internally, and the binding lustrous and altogether well preserved. This handsomely bound volume follows the river Thames as it meanders through the English countryside, into the city of London, and out to the English Channel, the whole illustrated with beautiful aquatint plates finished with skillful contemporary hand-coloring. Originally issued in six monthly parts, the work includes 19 plates by William Westfall, and five plates and two vignettes by Samuel Owen. Many of the views incorporate important monuments such as Windsor Castle and Eton College, and the London views include Waterloo, Southwark, and Westminster bridges, Greenwich Hospital, and the newly build Custom House near Billingsgate. Multiple bibliographers have pointed out the beautiful blue aquatint skies in these engravings, which seem to pop off the page; the handsome compositions and careful attention to detail--both by the artists and the colorists--are equally worthy of praise. The Thames has inspired many works seeking to capture its beauty, but among aquatint engravings, as Prideaux asserts, the present work is "Perhaps the finest." Among the chief artists and draughtsmen of the day, Westall (1781-1850) made a name for himself in connection with popular topographical works like the present volume. DNB tells us that "his lithographs of London and the aquatints for Ackermann of the Thames, the universities, and public schools are highly regarded." Owen (1768/9 - 1857) was an established marine and landscape painter with extensive knowledge of the Thames, having previously done 84 views of the river for William Bernard Cooke's 1811 "The Thames." Prideaux reserves special praise for Owen's vignettes, because they are "very beautiful, and show how especially suitable aquatint is for the purpose." Although unsigned, our convincing replica binding is exceptionally pretty and is adorned with a memorable gilt design.
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