Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
[SURTEES Robert Smith],. MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR.. London Bradbury Agnew & Co, 1853.
Price: US$25.48 + shipping
Description: Publisher's original decorated red cloth, at sometime rebound, with a decorated maroon morocco spine. With thirteen hand-coloured plates, together with other illustrations, by John Leech. Gift inscription to f.f.e.p. Fore-edge spotted. First and last pages browned. A fair copy of the First Edition. pp. viii, 408.
Seller: Grove Rare Books PBFA, Skipton, United Kingdom
[Surtees, Robert Smith]. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury and Evans., London., 1853.
Price: US$61.15 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Good. Bound in contemporaneous green half calf and marbled boards. Gilt lettered calf tile to spine. Covers bear light wear, particularly to edges. Rear joint cracked. Front joint cracked to top 1/3. Neatly penned ownership inscription in contemporaneous hand to free front endpaper. A little foxed to outermost leaves. Many of the figures within the wood engravings have been neatly coloured by hand. One line in the wood engravings illustration contents has had a line drawn through it and the text neatly replaced with a hand-written correction. 408pp.
Seller: Sapience Bookstore, Hexham, United Kingdom
[Surtees, Robert Smith]. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1853.
Price: US$75.00 + shipping
Description: First edition. Second Issue. Hand colored frontispiece, 11 of 12 hand colored steel engravings Without "Mr. Sponge at Framer Springwhaet's" palte, and numerous woodcut illustrations by John Leech. 1 vols. 8vo. First Edition. Full later polished tan calf, triple gilt fillet borders, back gilt, a.e.g., by Morrell. Fine Hand colored frontispiece, 11 of 12 hand colored steel engravings Without "Mr. Sponge at Framer Springwhaet's" palte, and numerous woodcut illustrations by John Leech. 1 vols. 8vo
Seller: The Old Mill Bookshop, HACKETTSTOWN, NJ, U.S.A.
Robert Smith Surtees. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury, Agnew, & Co. [1853], London, 1853.
Price: US$76.44 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: A decoratively bound volume of Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour by Victorian novelist and sporting writer Robert Smith Surtees A decoratively bound volume of Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour by Victorian novelist and sporting writer Robert Smith Surtees. With several in-text illustrations and 12 colour plates, collated but incomplete as lacking the final plate called for. Surtees was a fine creator of comic characters and is best remembered for the good-natured sporting cockney grocer, Jorrocks. In this novel, Surtees imbues the story of Soapey Sponge with sharp social observation and wit. Prior owner's ink inscription to the second front free endpaper. 'Edward Broadwood, New College Oxford, May 1876'. Undated. Dated from copy held at University of Cambridge. Rebound in the original red cloth binding. Externally, generally smart. A little rubbed to the boards and spine with some light wear to the extremities. Front hinge starting, but firm. Internally, firmly bound, Some light foxing to the front and rear of the volume, but pages are otherwise bright and clean. Very Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Price: US$82.36 + shipping
Description: 8°, XII, 408 Seiten (unbeschnitten). mit 13 handkolorierten Stahlstichtafeln (inklusive Titelbild), Titelvignette und vielen Textholzstichen von John Leech. Späterer roter Halblederband auf 5 unechten Bünden mit Rückenvergoldung. Erste illustrierte Ausgabe. - Rücken hellbraun verblichen und leicht fleckig, Ecken gering bestoßen, leicht berieben. Schmutztitel und Titel etwas fleckig, Monogramm auf Titel. Schnitt angestaubt, Seitenränder teils fleckig und knitterfaltig. Insgesamt schönes Exemplar.
Seller: Antiquariat carpe diem, Monika Grevers, Bocholt, Germany
Price: US$82.81 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: FIRST EDITION. 8vo. 5.75 x 8.75 inches. [x] + 408 pp. + 13 hand-coloured plates and numerous illustrations to the text. Bound in original half green morocco over green cloth, spine in compartments with raised bands, decorated gilt with contrasting maroon morocco label, gilt. Slight wear to extremities and some foxing but otherwise a very good copy. Faint inscription on first free endpaper. Illustrated by 13 hand coloured steel engravings, including frontispiece and by numerous wood engravings in text. First edition of the fifth fiction title to appear by Robert Smith Surtees (1805-64) of Hamsterley Hall, Co. Durham. His first novel featuring Jorrocks, his sporting cockney squire, appeared in 1838 and this Sporting Tour, featuring his new hero, Soapey Sponge, is regarded as one of his best works. A handsomely bound first edition, illustrated by John leech. SPORTS/PASTIMES HUNTING ENGLISH LITERATURE- SPORT FICTION FIRST EDITION SPORTS/PASTIMES
Seller: Marrins Bookshop, Folkestone, KENT, United Kingdom
Anonymous; (Robert. S. Surtees). Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour (First Edition). Bradbury & Evans, 1853.
Price: US$89.25 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Original with marbled boards and calf leather tips and quarterstripe with gilt lettering and five raised bands and tooling along spine. Binding and hinges tight and square; contents clean and unmarked except for gift inscription on FFEP; scattered foxing on blank pages not impacting text or illustrations. Marbled endpapers. 408 pp. Features illustrations by John Leech including woodblocks throughout and 13 hand colored full page engravings on thick paper. First edition including 1853 date on title page and printer listing of Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., printers, Whitefriars on reverse side. A rare and beautiful copy of this classic. All items carefully packed to avoid damage from moisture and rough handling.
Seller: Imperial Books and Collectibles, Wauwatosa, WI, U.S.A.
Price: US$94.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: . . . . 8vo, hardcover. No dj. Vg+ condition. Full red leather binding. Gilt spine title, with added gilt foxhunting vignettes. Very slight wear to spine edges, leather still fairly supple. Contents clean, no marking or writing. Binding sturdy, square and tight. 13 color illustrations, collated- all present. Attractively bound, and uniform with 5 other Surtees titles in our inventory. Pictures on request British, Chase, England, Fiction, Foxhunting, History, Literature,
Seller: Tiber Books, Cockeysville, MD, U.S.A.
Not Stated [Robert Smith Surtees]. Mr Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury, Evans, & Co., London, 1853.
Price: US$95.55 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: An early printing of Surtees's sporting novel featuring Mr Sponge, adorned with hand-coloured plates by John Leech. Undated early printing of this work, dated from other copies catalogued at the British Library. One of Robert Smith Surtees's popular sporting novels, originally published in parts.Robert Smith Surtees's novels follow the adventures of Jorrocks, a vulgar but good-natured sporting cockney grocer. Surtees' novels are entertaining and witty, and his writing style and characters are often compared to Charles Dickens.Published anonymously. Rebound in half calf without half title, no advertisements to rear, all thirteen hand-coloured plates by John Leech present, as well as numerous further vignettes in text. Rebound in half calf over marbled boards. Externally a trifle worn with shelf wear, rubbing to spine, boards, joints, and extremities, front joint starting. Previous ownership inscription to front free endpaper, dated 1874. Internally, firmly bound. Pages generally very clean throughout. Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Surtees, Robert Smith. MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. London Bradbury and Evans 1853, 1853.
Price: US$103.20 + shipping
Description: FIRST EDITION 8vo. black hardback, three quarter bound in dark brown roan with raised bands and decorative gilt to spine, marbled boards. All edges marbled. 408pp. plus hand-coloured colour and b/w illustrations by John Leech. A clean copy with no previous owners' markings or inscriptions. Occasional light foxing, heavier to text pages facing hand-coloured plates. Neatly repaired closed tear to title page. Light wear to edges of spine and corners. A GOOD+ COPY. (Shelf 6) ** Pictures available upon request, if not already displayed here.** The shop is open 7 days a week. Over 20,000 books in stock - come and browse. PayPal, credit and most debit cards welcome. Books posted worldwide. For any queries please contact us direct.
Seller: Chaucer Bookshop ABA ILAB, Canterbury, United Kingdom
(Surtees, Robert Smith). Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1853.
Price: US$125.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: pp. x, [3], 2-408. 8vo. First Edition, First Issue. Illustrated with 13 color plates (collated complete) and 84 woodcuts by John Leech. Bound in 3/4 leather with raised bands and gilt decorations on the spine. All edges gilt. No previous owner's names or marks, a very clean, handsome copy.
Seller: ARABESQUE BOOKS, Atlanta, GA, U.S.A.
Price: US$125.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Hardcover. A handsome copy of this popular sporting book by Surtees. Historian Norman Gash wrote of Surtees: "Surtees's range was limited, his style often clumsy and colloquial. Even in the better-constructed novels the plots are loose and discursive. Nevertheless, his sharp, authentic descriptions of the hunting field have retained their popularity among fox-hunters. Among a wider public he is known for his mordant observations on men, women, and manners; his entertaining array of eccentrics, rakes, and rogues; his skill in the construction of lively dialogue (a matter over which he took great pains); and his happy genius for unforgettable and quotable phrases. Although his proper place among Victorian novelists is not easy to determine, his power as a creative artist was recognized, among professional writers, by Thackeray, Kipling, Arnold Bennett, and Siegfried Sassoon, and earned the tributes of laymen as distinguished and diverse as William Morris, Lord Rosebery, and Theodore Roosevelt." His later novels such as this one were enhanced by the delightful illustrations by the renowned John Leech. This book has thirteen hand colored full page steel engravings and numerous wood engravings throughout the text. Bound in full dark red leather by the binders Lloyd, Wallis & Lloyd. With gilt rulings on covers and spine with six compartments with gilt titling and floral ornaments. Leather is somewhat rubbed, worn along spine edges, and lightly bumped. With marbled endpapers and gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Front hinge is cracked but text block is tight. Interior pages are generally clean and bright with light aging to margins. Very good condition. Octavo. 408 pages. LIT/110521.
Seller: The Kelmscott Bookshop, ABAA, Savage, MD, U.S.A.
Price: US$129.99 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: London: Printed for Subscribers from Plates of Original Edition By Bradbury, Agnew & Co., 1853. Undated [1853]. Early reprint. One in a series of sporting novels illustrated by the noted caricaturist John Leech. Includes 13 hand colored plates and dozens of additional full page engravings and vignettes. Fine binding by Lauriat, bright crimson red morocco leather over red cloth, gilt spine lettering, slightly raised spine bands with themed decorated compartments, top edge gilt, marbled endpapers. Light edge rubbing, good hinges, firm text block, clean pages, no names or other markings. Hard Cover. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
Seller: Resource Books, LLC, East Granby, CT, U.S.A.
SURTEES, Robert Smith. MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. , 1853.
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Description: SURTEES, Robert Smith. MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. With Illustrations By John Leech. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1853. 8vo., red half-morocco leather & red cloth, gilt titles on spine, top edge gilt. First Edition. With 13 marvelous hand-colored plates by Leech. This title is probably considered Surtees best work, with Mr. Soapy Sponge being among his best-known characters. Very Good (minor wear & scuffing leather, bit of bubbling to cloth on the front cover; gilt nice & bright). $150.00.
Seller: Antic Hay Books, Asbury Park, NJ, U.S.A.
Robert Smith Surtees. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury and Evans., London., 1853.
Price: US$152.89 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Good. Publishers first state cloth. Cloth rubbed and fraying at corners and edges. Gilt embossing rubbed. Previous owner name neatly penned to free front endpaper and title page corner. A little foxed and thumbed. One plate pulling loose.
Seller: Sapience Bookstore, Hexham, United Kingdom
Robert Smith Surtees. Mr Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1853.
Price: US$152.89 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: A first edition of the work often described as Robert Smith Surtees' finest, illustrated with colour plates by John Leech. Robert Smith Surtees (1805-1864) was an English editor and novelist, most widely known for the cockney character of Jorrocks.Illustrated with thirteen hand coloured plates, as well as in-text illustrations. Collated, complete.With the ownership inscription of George Ricketts dated 1880 to the front blank.The first edition of this work. In a half crushed morocco binding. Externally generally smart; spine is a little faded as to be expected. Rubbed to the joints and the tail of the spine, and a little bumped to the extremities. Internally, binding is generally firm; a slight strain to the front hinge. Pages are a touch age-toned to the edges, with occasional spotting and offsetting opposing plates. Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Price: US$158.13 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 408 S. goldengrave, lot of illustrations some of this fullpage and hand-colored, some little sign of use, apart from that a good condition Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 1100
Seller: Antiquariat Buchseite, Purkersdorf, Austria
Surtees, Robert Smith. Mr. Sponges Sporting Tour. Bradbury, Agnew & Co., 1853.
Price: US$175.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: In good condition. Extremities typically rubbed with light soiling to boards overall. Corners rubbed with board exposed. Marbled boards are scratched, discolored. Hinges dry and nearly cracked. Five raised bands delicately decorated with gilt finishing. Pictorial images of hunting symbols are gilt on spine. Armorial bookplate of Frederic William Coles on front paste down. Coles handwriting Cornall on flyleaf in old hand. Second flyleaf has his handwriting as well dated 1875, Brussels. Interior lightly age-toned. Scattered foxing throughout. Toning to plates, but remain bright. Binding intact. Please see photos. 1st edition. Robert Smith Surtees was a popular sporting writer, beginning his writing career by contributing to the Sporting Magazine. This is his most famous novel with his hero character Soapey Sponge, being as popular as his comic character Jorrocks, featured in numerous novels, including Handley Cross. Illustrated by John Leech, a caricaturist best known for his for Punch. He also illustrated editions of Charles Dickens works including the first edition of A Christmas Carol.
Seller: ROBIN RARE BOOKS at the Midtown Scholar, Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A.
Price: US$191.11 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Corners bumped, spine ends chipped, marbled boards rubbed and scratched, front hinge cracked, some discolouration and light staining to closed edges, occasional spot and smudge mark to page edges, else pp clean and tidy, some lovely coloured plates. Size: 8vo
Seller: Bookcase, Carlisle, United Kingdom
Surtees Smith. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury London, 1853.
Price: US$197.66 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: In 8°, mezza pelle con titoli e fregi in oro al dorso, piccolo restauro al dorso, pagine XII + 408. Piccola incisione su legno sul frontespizio. 13 Tavole a colori f.t. con incisioni su acciaio. (indice a pag. XI). 84 incisioni su legno in nero nel testo. (indice a pag. XII). MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR LE BATTUTE DI CACCIA DI MR. SPONGE CON ILLUSTRAZIONI DI JOHN LEECH Romanzo comico di Robert Smith Surtees (1803-1864), romanziere inglese, appassionato cacciatore. Curiosamente, il nome dellautore non compare sul frontespizio o altrove nel volume: cè invece la dicitura: dellAutore di HANDLEY CROSS, JORROCKSS JAUNTS, ETC. ETC., titoli di altri libri dellA., famosissimi allepoca. . Il romanzo, nello stile del Circolo Pickwick di C. Dickens, racconta le umoristiche avventure del cacciatore Mr. Sponge, personaggio comico e caricaturale, impegnato a cavalcare nelle cacce alla volpe con i cani, o col fucile, nelle campagne inglesi, con risultati spesso disastrosi. Le illustrazioni sono del celebre caricaturista John Leech (1817-1864), collaboratore della rivista satirica inglese Punch e autore di illustrazioni per alcune opere di C. Dickens.
Seller: Studio Bibliografico Imprimatur, Cesate, MI, Italy
Robert S Surtees. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury and Agnew, London, 1853.
Price: US$203.85 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: An uncommon early edition of this humourous novel by Robert S. Surtees. Robert S. Surtees was an English editor, novelist sporting writer. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour is widely considered Surtees's finest work. With 13 hand-coloured plates and numerous illustrations throughout by John Leech. In a red half morocco leather binding with marbled boards. Expertly rebacked - hardly to be seen. Externally, smart with slight wear to extremities and marks to boards. Spine slightly sunned. Internally, firmly bound. Pages generally bright and clean, with slight spotting here and there. Very Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
[SURTEES Robert Smith]. Mr Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury & Evans 1853, 1853.
Price: US$203.85 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: contemporary half-leather over marbled boards, raised bands, leather label, spine sunned, upper hinge starting, thirteen hand-coloured plates by John Leech, ownership signatures, occasional marginal soiling, a nice copy. first edition; first issue with the dedication to the 'Right Honourable Lord Elcho'; 408 pages; keywords: fiction;
Seller: Tiger books, Canterbury, United Kingdom
Price: US$247.07 + shipping
Description: Finely bound in contemporary half aniline calf over marble boards. raised bands, gilt-cross bands with a gilt-blocked title label. Spine compartments uniformly blind-tooled. Bands and panel edges somewhat rubbed and toned as with age. Scans on request.; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 408 pages; Physical description; x,[2],408p.,[13] leaves of plates : ill. (col.) ; 8vo. Notes; Anonymous. By Robert Surtees. Printer's details from colophon: Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., printers, Whitefriars. Publication date from Preface. The illustrations are hand-coloured. Illustrated with 13 hand-coloured engravings and many woodcuts by John Leech. Subjects; Fox-hunting. Series; Handley cross sporting novels. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books Ltd., Galway, Ireland
Surtees, Robert Smith 1805-1864.. Mr. Sponge's sporting tour. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1853.
Price: US$254.81 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: FIRST EDITION 1ST ISSUE - SUPERBLY BOUND IN DEEP RED FULL LEATHER BINDING BY BAYNTUN'S OF BATH : Bookplate of E. Lynton- Vicars to front pastedown. First Issue points - Adverts in Red { Later issues were in black } ; Dedication Lord Elcho { later issues had 'Earl' }; P.95 headed correctly "Sporting Tour" & Woodcut is on p.230. A delightful copy, ornately bound, with inner dentelles, and coloured floral style pastedowns. Original Covers laid in at rear. All pages edged in gilt. Some light spotting to colour frontis, odd spot to occasional margin thereafter. A superb copy. Preface dated: November 1852. half-titkle x, 2 unnumbered pages, 408 pages, 13 colour unnumbered leaves of plates : further wood engravings throughout.
Seller: BiblioFile, Cadole, FLINT, United Kingdom
SURTEES, John.. Mr Sponges Sporting Tour. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1853.
Price: US$261.18 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: 1st Edition. Probably a first edition second state based on 1) Dedication to Lord Elcho, 2) p95 heading not mis-spelled and 3) woodcut is on p230 rather than p229. Description: Bound in full red leather with gilt decorative borders. 5 raised bands on the spine with elaborated gilt compartments red leather gilt stamped title label , gilt all edges marbled. 13 hand coloured engraved plates with tissue guards along with 84 engravings on wood in text. Language: English. Book Condition> Good: Light wear to corner tips. Wear to spine ends and edges with small split to upper rear spine edge. Endpapers are cracked but hinges remain tights and strong. Damp lines to edge of front paste down and fore edge of ffep. As part of the original rebinding the last plate "Mr Sponge Declares Himself" has been moved to the frontis position and there is no half title page. DJ Condition> Na. 408pp. Size: 8vo 22cm by 14cm. Author: Robert Smith Surtees was an English editor, novelist and sporting writer best known for his contributions to the first English sporting periodical to devote itself to every type of sport, The Sporting Magazine Surtees launched his own sporting magazine entitled the New Sporting Magazine in 1831, contributing the comic papers which appeared as Jorrocks Jaunts and Jollities in 1838 Jorrocks, the eponymous, vulgar and artful sporting cockney grocer was a great success with the public and is often considered as one of the great comic characters of English Literature, However, another work that appeared within Surtees magazine (containing an equally humorous titular hero) was this text, Mr Sponges Sporting Tour. Book Resume: Comic satire of the fox-hunting world by the English editor, novelist and sporting writer The story follows Soapy Sponge, a freeloader and confidence trickster, who works his way around the gentrified houses of southern England, fox-hunting as he goes. POSTAGE: PLEASE NOTE - This is a heavy item and will require additional postage for overseas deliveries. We will contact you with the additional charges. Please see our postage policy on our shop front for more information PLEASE ASK for additional photographs if required.
Seller: Jacket and Cloth, Chippenham, United Kingdom
SURTEES, Robert. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury & Agnew, London, 1853.
Price: US$275.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: By the Author of "Handley Cross", "Jorrocks's Jaunts," etc. etc. 13 hand colored plates and 84 text wood engravings by John Leech. 408pp. 8vo, cont. 1/2 red calf, leather labels gilt decorations on spine; hinges rubbed. London: Bradbury Agnew, , no date. One of many 19th century reprints.
Seller: Argosy Book Store, ABAA, ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$280.00 + shipping
Description: Finely bound in contemporary half aniline calf over marble boards. raised bands, gilt-cross bands with a gilt-blocked title label. Spine compartments uniformly blind-tooled. Bands and panel edges somewhat rubbed and toned as with age. Scans on request.; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 408 pages; Physical description; x,[2],408p.,[13] leaves of plates : ill. (col.) ; 8vo. Notes; Anonymous. By Robert Surtees. Printer's details from colophon: Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., printers, Whitefriars. Publication date from Preface. The illustrations are hand-coloured. Illustrated with 13 hand-coloured engravings and many woodcuts by John Leech. Subjects; Fox-hunting. Series; Handley cross sporting novels. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$301.98 + shipping
Description: Good copy in the original gilt-blocked cloth. Professionally re-cased with the original spine laid back; very impressively finished. Remains particularly well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Physical description; x, 408 p. ; 8º. Subject; Fox-hunting. Genres; Fiction. Illustrated. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books Ltd., Galway, Ireland
Surtees, Robert Smith. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1853.
Price: US$302.59 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: Hardcover in acceptable condition. No jacket. First edition. Dedicated to Lord Elcho. Illustrated in colour and black-and-white by John Leech. Leather spine and half-leather boards. Abrasions and scores on worn boards. Leading corners, edges and spine ends are bumped and torn. Rear spine side and pastedown hinges are partially split but binding remains intact. Spine is slightly cocked. Previous owner's details inked on reverse of FEP. Page block and pages are tanned and marked. Creases throughout pages. Contents remain clear throughout. HCW
Seller: PsychoBabel & Skoob Books, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OXON, United Kingdom
Surtees Robert S. MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR. London Bradbury and Evans 1853, 1853.
Price: US$324.50 + shipping
Description: Illustrated with an engraved title-page and 13 hand-coloured plates by John Leech. 8vo, bound by Blackwell of England in full crimson calf, the spine with raised bands gilt stopped, the compartments with elaborate gilt tooling of hunting scenes and floral borders, lettered in gilt on contrasting green and brown morocco labels in two compartments, the covers with outer and inner frames of gilt fillet rules, a third inner frame rolled in gilt, corner devices gilt, edges gilt tooled, elaborate gilt turnovers, marbled endleaves, top edge gilt, silk ribbon marker, the original covers and spine panel bound in at the end of the volume. x, [2], 408, [3 ads on yellow paper] pp. A fine copy internally, the plates and text-block all in excellent condition, the covers detached at the hinges, easily restored as needed. FIRST EDITION, HANDCOLOURED PLATES BY JOHN LEECH. Considered by most to be Surtees best work, this introduces his great character - Mr. Soapy Sponge. His absurd scenes, convincing dialects, vivid caricatures and catchy phrases earned him the praise of some of his greatest contemporaries such as Thackeray and Dickens. This light-hearted romp through the countryside is a fine example of Surtees' craft.
Seller: Buddenbrooks, Inc., Newburyport, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$340.00 + shipping
Description: Good copy in the original gilt-blocked cloth. Professionally re-cased with the original spine laid back; very impressively finished. Remains particularly well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Physical description; x, 408 p. ; 8º. Subject; Fox-hunting. Genres; Fiction. Illustrated. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.
SURTEES, Robert Smith. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1853.
Price: US$369.47 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Full red calf, 8.5 inches tall. A very fine copy in pristine condition. Bound with gilt raised bands, labels and delightfully tooled gilt panels framing a centre tool of riding cap, stick and whip. Gilt dentelles and top edge. First edition. With hand coloured full page engravings by John Leech.
Seller: McConnell Fine Books ABA & ILAB, Deal, KENT, United Kingdom
Price: US$433.17 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Five sporting novels from Robert Smith Surtees, illustrated by John Leech and Hablot K. Browne, and uniformly bound by Bickers & Son. Five volumes in half calf bindings, with marbled boards and end papers. All edges gilt. Binder's stamp of Bickers & Son to the verso of the front free end paper. 17 hand-coloured plates to Handley Cross. 13 hand-coloured plates to Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour, "Ask Mamma" and "Plain or Ringlets?". 24 hand-coloured plates to Mr. Facey Romford's Hounds. Collated, complete. Five volumes of some of Robert Smith Surtees's most popular and engaging sporting novels. Surtees was a novelist who is primarily remembered for his creation of the character Jorrocks. All five volumes have been illustrated throughout by John Leech, a British caricaturist and illustrator best known for his work in Punch. Mr. Facey Romford's Hounds is also illustrated by Hablot K. Browne, also known as Phiz, who illustrated the works of Charles Dickens. This selection comprises: Handley Cross; or, Mr. Jorrocks's Hunt (Bradbury, Evans, & Co., London, 1854) Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour (Bradbury, Evans, & Co., London, 1853) "Ask Mamma;" or, the Richest Commoner in England (Bradbury, Evans, & Co., London, 1872) "Plain or Ringlets?" (Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., London, 1860) Mr. Facey Romford's Hounds (Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., London, 1892)Handley Cross, Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour, and Mr. Facey Romford's Hounds are undated. They have been dated through copies held at the British Library and University of Cambridge Libraries. In half calf bindings. Externally fairly smart, with shelf wear to the boards and rubbing to the extremities and joints. Loss to the marbled paper of the front board to Handley Cross. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean except for the odd spot, more so to the first and last few pages. Closed tear to the sixteenth plate of Handley Cross, not affecting the engraving. Very Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Price: US$445.91 + shipping
Description: 8vo, pp. [6], [ix]-x, [2], 408; with 13 hand-coloured steel-engraved plates and numerous woodcut illustrations in text; lightly toned, occasional spots; a good copy in mid 19th-century half red calf with pebble-grained cloth sides, spine gilt in compartments with gilt green morocco lettering-piece in one, gilt venatic centre-pieces in others, non-pareil marbled edges and endpapers; rubbed with a few small scuffs, neatly rebacked in red tissue; 19th-century ink ownership inscription of 'Nath. Baker' to p. 25, early 20th-century armorial bookplate of Kington Baker to upper pastedown.First edition of Surtees's most successful novel, and his first collaboration with John Leech. Though never acknowledging his career as a sporting author, Surtees was a significant contributor to the Sporting Magazine, in 1830 replacing Nimrod as hunting correspondent and the following year establishing with Rudolph Ackermann a rival New Sporting Magazine, where he assumed the role of editor in addition to that of hunting correspondent. By the time of his first novels, in the 1840s, he had inherited Hamsterley Hall and was able to devote himself to farming, hunting, and writing. Issued in serial parts, here bound together, Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour had been published in an earlier version in the New Monthly Magazine (1849-1851), under the title Soapey Sponge's Sporting Tour. With Surtees's characteristic engagingly vulgar hero and rollicking style accompanied by Leech's humorously sketched illustrations, the novel proved enormously popular, becoming the first of several collaborations between the two. The present copy is from the library of Kington Baker, a collector whose seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Japanese porcelain is held by the British Museum. Mellon 187.
Seller: Bernard Quaritch Ltd ABA ILAB, London, United Kingdom
[Surtees, Robert Smith]. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1853.
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Description: First edition. Hand colored frontispiece, 12 hand colored steel engravings, and numerous woodcut illustrations by John Leech. 1 vols. 8vo. First Edition, Original Cloth. Surtees' classic sendup of the English propertied classes, through the lens of the hunting field. The freeloading Sponge is a hilarious creation and Surtees is as keen an observer of the financial view of world (and marriage) in Victorian Britain as Dickens, and as Jane Austen was of Georgian society. Biscotti, Six Centuries of Foxhunting, p. 361 Original tan pictorial cloth, gilt, some cover wear, shaken, else internally near fine. Cloth wrapper Hand colored frontispiece, 12 hand colored steel engravings, and numerous woodcut illustrations by John Leech. 1 vols. 8vo
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$555.00 + shipping
Description: 8vo. pp. x, [2], 408. with half-title. 13 hand-coloured etched plates (incl. frontis.) & wood-engraved text illus. by John Leech. modern half morocco, t.e.g. by Zaehnsdorf (slight discolouration to rear cover). First Edition, First Issue, dedicated to Lord Elcho. Gee p. 126. Higginson p. 432. NCBEL III 967. Podeschi 187. Slater pp. 110-11. Tooley 476.
Seller: D & E LAKE LTD. (ABAC/ILAB), Toronto, ON, Canada
Price: US$750.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Six volumes in a handsome fine binding of black morocco with five raised spine bands & elaborate gilt tooling to spine and boards. Gilt dentelles & top edges. Marbled endpapers. Texts and hinges are tight & intact. Beautifully illustrated with hand coloured plates engraved on steel, b/w wood engravings & each title page has a wood engraved vignette. MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR: 13 colour illustrations & 84 wood engravings by John Leech; Bradbury and Evans; [10, 498pp]; 1853 (original illustrated front cover for part #1 bound in rear). [& ] HANDLEY CROSS; OR, MR. JORROCKS'S HUNT: 17 colour illustrations & 84 wood engravings by John Leech; Bradbury and Evans; [viii, 2, 550pp]; 1854 (original brown & gilt decorated cloth spine & covers bound in rear). [& ] "ASK MAMMA; " OR, THE RICHEST COMMONER IN ENGLAND: 13 colour illustrations & 69 wood engravings by John Leech; Bradbury and Evans; [xii, 412pp]; 1858; (publisher's original red-brown pictorial wrappers. Part #1 bound in rear). [&] "PLAIN OR RINGLETS?": 13 colour plates & 44 wood engravings by John Leech; Bradbury and Evans; [x, 406pp]; 1860. [&] MR. FACEY ROMFORD'S HOUNDS: 24 colour illustrations by John Leech and Hablot K. Browne (Phiz) ; Bradbury and Evans; [vi, 2, 391pp]; 1865; (publisher's original red-brown pictorial wrapper for part #1 bound in rear). [&] HILLINGDON HALL; 12 colour illustrations by Wildrake, Heath & Jellicoe; John C. Nimmo; [8, 519pp, 24 (ads) ]; 1888; (original brown & gilt decorated cloth spine & covers bound in rear). Collated: all illustrations present. All first editions in book form except for Handley Cross and Hillingdon Hall, which are the first illustrated editions in a single volume. Condition: a few cover scuffs & a rare spot of foxing. Armorial bookplate: (the Ramseys of) Barnton with motto: "ORA ET LABORA". Sports, Fox hunting, Humor. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 2876 pages
Seller: Nick Bikoff, IOBA, Fairfield, NJ, U.S.A.
Price: US$764.43 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: London: Bradbury And Evans, 1853, First Edition, First Issue, bound from the parts. Modern full morocco, by Roger de Coverly, with 13 hand-coloured etched plates and wood-engraved text illustrations by John Leech. x, [2], 408pp First Edition, First Issue, dedicated to Lord Elcho. With Illustrations by John Leech. With numerous wood-engraved illustrations throughout. A very good copy of the First Edition. Lacks ads at rear (not bound in). Dedicated to Lord Elcho. According to Simon Houfe in "John Leech and the Victorian Scene," Leech's hunting subjects first gained a following in Punch magazine beginning in 1847. Slightly cocked. Although no one seems to know exactly when the leading sporting writer and the foremost sporting illustrator first met, by 1851 Leech, Surtees, and the publisher's Bradbury and Evans had already begun work on "Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour." The work, of course, was an immediate success, being first issued in twelve monthly parts. The work would prove to be the first of many they would collaborate upon. The bookbinding career of Roger de Coverly (1831-1914) seems to be characterised by a desire to leave it! His apprenticeship with the flourishing firm of Zaehnsdorfs was so colourless and humdrum that he petitioned for time off to study the violin. His name recalls a 17th century English folk dance but his passion was for music, not dancing, and this sustained him throughout his life. His next employment at John and James Leightons of Brewer Street provided more fun. His fellows there shared Rogers love of chess, which they played during their lunch-break and at meetings of the Bookbinders Amateur Chess Club founded c1852. Music was not neglected and Rogers solo performance for the Battersea Vocal Association was commended in the Music Times of 1 March 1861. When Roger established his own workshop (in Leicester Square and later 6 St Martins Court and 91 Shaftsbury Avenue), there was little time for the extra- curricular activities he loved. As a one man band, he had to forward and finish the bindings himself. His wife Elisabeth contributed financially by opening a school for young ladies. Slowly, however, the bindings business began to flourish. It was patronised by aristocrats, noted writers (for example T E Lawrence) and artists. His style was rather conservative and retrospective but the good quality materials used and his stated goal, to bind excellently rather than cheaply made up for lack of originality, for some at least. (British Library). Provenance no inscriptions or bookplates. Approximately 8 ¾ inches tall. Condition Report Externally Spine very good condition gilt titles and decoration, minor scratches and marks, raised bands. Joints good condition gently rubbed and worn. Corners good condition gently bumped and worn. Boards good condition red morocco boards with gilt filets. Page edges good condition gilt. See above and photos. Internally Hinges good condition good and solid. Paste downs good condition marbled paper covered with gilt dentelles. End papers good condition marbled. Title good condition tanned. Pages good condition some foxing. Binding good condition attractive, slightly cocked. See photos. Publisher: see above. Publication Date: 1853 Binding: Hardback
Seller: Louis88Books (Members of the PBFA), Andover, United Kingdom
SURTEES, Robert Smith.. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour.. London: Bradbury and Evans 1853, 1853.
Price: US$828.13 + shipping
Description: First edition in book form, following issue in parts. With the first state dedication to Lord Elcho, later corrected to Earl Elcho, the corrected state of the woodcut on p. 230 instead of p. 229, and the earlier state of the advertisements printed in red. The novel covers a season in the life of a hunting man about town and country. Tooley 476. Octavo. Original brown cloth, spine lettered in gilt, spine and front cover decorated in gilt, yellow advertisement endpapers. Housed in custom red cloth box. With 13 hand-coloured engravings on steel and 84 wood engravings Early 20th-century booklabels on front free endpaper verso. Cloth very fresh and bright, slight split in inner hinges but still holding, contents clean save for occasional minor foxing. An excellent copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
SURTEES, Robert Smith. Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour.. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1853., 1853.
Price: US$1900.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: FIRST EDITION IN THE ORIGINAL 12/13 PARTS, 13 hand-coloured etched plates by John Leech, wood-engraved illustrations, part 2 with slip for Bleak House, part 4 without the People's Illustrated Journal insert, part 6 with Chapman and Hall slip, part 11 with 8pp. Allsopp's Ale advertisements, part 12/13 with slips for Household Words, Punch's Almanack and Handley Cross as well as advertisements for The Field at front and 4pp. advertisements at rear, original pictorial wrappers with advertisements, some very light creasing, the odd neat repair or light retouching to spines, A NEAR FINE SET, preserved in custom full red morocco clamshell slipcase with gilt sporting motifs to spine, [Schwerdt II p.238; Tooley 476].
Seller: D&D Galleries - ABAA, Somerville, NJ, U.S.A.
Price: US$3694.72 + shipping
Description: A smart set of the sporting novels of Surtees, a set of eight volumes including three first edition, colourfully illustrated by hand throughout. The collected sporting novels of Robert Smith Surtees, a set containing three first editions.In eight volumes.Bound by the Cornish Brothers, Birmingham.Robert Smith Surtees was a popular sporting writer, well beloved for his sporting novels, all of which are included in this set.'Jorrocks' Jaunts and Jollities', the third edition, published in 1869. Illustrated with a hand-coloured frontispiece, hand-coloured title page, and fourteen hand-coloured plates, by Henry Alken. One page of adverts to the rear. Collated, complete.'Hawbuck Grange', an undated reprint of c1888. Illustrated with a hand-coloured title page, eight hand-coloured plates, and monochrome plates, by Hablot Knight Browne, and W. T. Maud. Collated, complete.'Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour', the first edition, published in 1853. The first impression, with the first state dedication to Lord Elcho, later corrected to Earl Elcho, and the corrected state of the woodcut on page 230, instead of page 229. Illustrated with a hand-coloured frontispiece, twelve hand-coloured plates, and in-text illustrations. Collated, complete.'Handley Cross', an undated reprint of c1880. Illustrated with a hand-coloured frontispiece, hand-coloured title page, and sixteen hand-coloured plates, by John Leech. Collated, complete.'Ask Mama', the first edition, published in 1858. Illustrated with a hand-coloured frontispiece, and twelve hand-coloured plates, by John Leech. Collated, complete.'Plain or Ringlets?', the first edition, published in 1860. Illustrated with a hand-coloured frontispiece, hand-coloured title page, and eleven hand-coloured plates, by John Leech. Collated, all plates are present. Bound without the list of plates.'Mr. Romford's Hounds', an undated reprint of c1865. Illustrated with a hand-coloured frontispiece, hand-coloured title page, and twenty-three hand-coloured plates, by John Leech and Hablot Knight Browne. Collated, complete.'Hillingdon Hall', a reprint dated 1888, being the first illustrated edition. Illustrated with a hand-coloured frontispiece, and eleven hand-coloured plates, by Wildrake, Heath, and Jellicoe.Bookplate of C. Beaufort Hunt to the front paste downs. In a half calf binding with cloth to the boards, bound by the Cornish Brothers, Birmingham.Externally, smart. 'Jorrock's', 'Hawbuck Grange', 'Sponge's', and 'Facey' faded to the head of the boards. Spines are a little faded. Light marks to the boards and spines. Patches of very light rubbing to the leather. Small amount of loss to the head of the front board of 'Plain or Ringlets'. A little discolouration to the front joint of 'Romford's'. Bookplate to the front paste downs. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean with the occasional scattered spot, mostly to the first and last few pages and plates. Edge wear to the frontispiece of 'Jorrock's'. Neat repair to the gutters of the final few pages of 'Handley Cross'. Plate facing page 6 of 'Mr. Romford's Hounds' is detached but present. Tape repair to the plate facing page 330 of 'Sponge's'. Neat repair to plate facing page 407 of 'Handley Cross'. Very Good Indeed
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Price: US$5625.00 + shipping
Description: First edition in the original 13 parts in 12, 8vo, 13 handcolored plates by Leech, 84 wood-engraved illustrations in the text; a superlative set in original orange wrappers printed in black with virtually no chipping or wear. Part IV contains the advertisement for the "People's Illustrated Journal," comprising 1 leaf, and a 16-p. insert at the back titled "Ford's List of Prices." Part VI has the slip advertising a "Cheap Edition of the Works of Mr. Charles Dickens." Part VII has 4 pages of advertisements for "Allsop's Pale or Bitter Ale." Part XI advertises the same product in 8 pages. Parts XII and XIII have the slip announcing the extra Number of "Household Words," the advertisement for the first Number of "The Field," the slip for "Punch's Almanack," the slip for "Handley Cross," and 2 leaves of advertisements for Bradbury & Evans at the end. Sadleir 3166 (citing the cloth-bound edition); NCBEL III, 967.
Seller: Rulon-Miller Books (ABAA / ILAB), St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.