This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/25/2024
[COLOR-PLATE BOOKS]. [CRUIKSHANK, Robert (1759-1856), illustrator]. WESTMACOTT, Charles Molloy (1788-1868). The English Spy: An Original Work, Characteristic, Satirical, and Humorous. Comprising Scenes and Sketches in Every Bank of Society, Being Portraits of the Illustrious, Eminent, Eccentric, and Notorious, Drawn from the Life of Bernard Blackmantle. London: Sherwood, Jones, and Co., 1825-26. 8vos. Illustrated with all 71 hand-colored aquatints with tissue-guards (67 by Cruikshank, 2 by Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), and 1 each by T. Wageman and G. M. Brightly. With the full-page woodcut (“Five Principal Orders of Society”), and 74 intertextual woodcuts (23 by Rowlandson, the others by Cruikshank, Wageman and Huges. 2 volumes. 412; 399 pp. Approximately 9 x 5 ½”. Beautifully bound by W. Root & Son in nineteenth-century full burgundy levant morocco, boards elaborately ruled in gilt with floral cornerpieces, spines ruled, tooled, and lettered in gilt in compartments, five raised bands, gilt board edges and turn-ins, marbled endleaves, top edge gilt (volume 1 rebacked preserving the original spine, volume 2 with both boards re-hinged, some edgewear to bindings, joints somewhat worn, hinges of volume 1 starting, hinges of volume 2 reinforced with cloth, some occasional foxing to text, plates or tissue-guards). Very good. FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE (volume 1, plate at p. 389 misdated, and p. 222 on volume 2 blank). “The English Spy, both in text and illustrations, is sometimes as coarse as ever was Smollett in word or Gillray in drawing, it contains many lively representations of life, high and low, gives much curious information about real people still recognizable under their fictitious names [including Charles Kemble, Macready, Grimaldi, Mme. Vestris, also George IV and his mistress], and preserves many tales of a past age.” (CBEL, vol. 14, p. 225). Supposedly, Westmacott was horse-whipped by Charles Kemble three years after this title was published. Abbey, Life, 325. Tooley 504.