Slang: A Dictionary of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, the Pit, of Bon-Ton, and the Varieties of Life

London: T. Hughes, 1823. First edition of John Badcock's celebrated dictionary of British slang, published under the pseudonym Jon Bee. An important and entertaining record of early nineteenth-century English vernacular, encompassing the language of horse racing, prizefighting, hunting, cockfighting, gambling, fashionable society, and the criminal underworld. Badcock combines definitions with anecdotes, quotations, and observations on the manners and practices of Regency England. The title page describes the work as a "Lexicon Balatronicum," intended for the instruction of "Novices, Flats and Yokels." Bound in half leather over richly patterned multicolored marbled boards, with a gilt-decorated spine and contrasting leather title label. The binding is tight and secure, with no loose pages or gatherings. Corners and edges exhibit rubbing and wear but remain intact. The interior shows age-related toning and occasional marks. The preliminary matter extends through page xvi, and the dictionary concludes on page 216 with the entry "Vardo," followed by FINIS, a publisher's announcement, and the imprint of W. Lewis, printer, Finch Lane, Cornhill. The original pagination irregularity, in which page 24 is followed by page 49, is also present in another documented copy of the 1823 edition; the alphabetical text continues uninterrupted from "Chemistry" to "Chevy." Full collation has not been undertaken. Of particular interest is the illustrated bookplate of Harry Arthur James, author of A Professional Pugilist (1894), depicting two prizefighters and fishing equipment, with the Welsh motto "Pawb yn ei arfau." James's documented interest in boxing makes this a particularly appropriate ownership association for a dictionary devoted in part to the language of the prizefighting ring. The rear endpapers contain several manuscript annotations in faded pencil and ink, including notes on historical slang and references to Elizabethan thieves and beggars. Some of the annotations are difficult to decipher. An additional endpaper bears a blind-embossed ownership seal with an open-book device. Together with the illustrated Harry Arthur James sporting bookplate, these provide interesting evidence of the volume's ownership and use. An attractive first edition of a significant early dictionary of English slang, enhanced by its sporting provenance and manuscript annotations. Of particular interest to collectors of lexicography, Regency social history, early sporting literature, boxing history, and the development of the English language. Bookseller's Comments 1823 first edition of Jon Bee's important slang dictionary. Tight half-leather binding with marbled boards and gilt spine decoration. With the illustrated sporting bookplate of Harry Arthur James, an embossed ownership seal, and manuscript annotations. The original pagination irregularity is documented in another copy of the edition.…