Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$115.49 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: xv + vii + 126pp, illustrated at the beginning and end of each 'book' with beautiful Bewick engravings. Eps slightly foxed. Bookplate of previous owner on paste down fep. New calf spine on original calf/marbled boards. Very tight and very bright with very sharp engravings.
Seller: Elaine Beardsell, HOLMFIRTH, United Kingdom
Price: US$125.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: 2 p.l., xxxvii & 280; 1 p.l., 340 pages; Two volumes [1796, 1800], old tan half calf over marbled boards, shallow raised bands on spines, gilt lettered labels in black and brown, marbled endpapers, edges of the text blocks marbled to match. This set represents the first edition of a classic with illustrations by Thomas Bewick. The good news is that this set is complete, and in a binding of its time of issue. But is has suffered a bit -- the spine to the first volume has a repair in newer leather at the foot, the marbled paper coving the rear board is eroded at the bottom, and the spine repair has required that the inner hinges were strengthened with narrow exposed strips of black binder's cloth. The bindings are both worn at the tops and bottoms of the spines and the corners. Each title page has a small blind stamp from a former institutional owner at the lower corner (this small stamp in raised letters appears on one sectional title in the second volume, as well). There are faint ink accession numbers stamped on each title page. Finally, card pockets have been removed at some point, leaving damaging marks to the rear marbled endpapers. The title pages are significantly toned, and there is moderate to heavy foxing scattered throughout. Not an ideal set, but complete and sound, and priced according to its condition. .Translated by Gregory Lewis Way. The volumes were printed by Bewick's great life-long friend, William Bulmer. The printer and the great wood-engraver formed a friendship as boys in their native Newcastle. Bewick famously made a short trip to London in early youth, and did not return to the capitol until late in his life. William Bulmer, on the other hand, made his way to London as soon as his Newcastle apprenticeship allowed, where he became one of the two great printers of his age. Thomas Bewick revolutionized the illustration of books with his subtle and sensitive wood-engravings, cut against a cross-grain cut edge of boxwood. These could display significantly greater and finer detail than previous methods of woodcut illustrations used for hundreds of years previously. The Bewick blocks were sturdy and since they were inked on their face, the blocks could be incorporated into printing forms with metal type, so that a page with illustrations could be printed with its illustrations in one pass. The catch is that inking had to be done with great care, and even though the pressure required for the illustrations was much lower than, say, copper-engraved plates -- passing the pages with illustrations through the press required a light and masterly touch. And so, even though it would be a matter of great historical and social interest that William Bulmer and Thomas Bewick were friends from boyhood on, it is even more important to the quality of the unique pinnacle that Bewick's engraved woodblocks represent, that Bulmer was a master of the printer's craft, determined to work to standards that the London trade did not exceed in his time. There were two Bewick-illustrated books produced by Bulmer in 1796. The first volume of this pair of 'Fabliaux' -- and an edition of Somervile's 'Chase'. Each of these fine books had engravings by Thomas Bewick and his younger brother John (who died in 1795). The first volume of this set has the title page in its second setting (as usual, for complete sets of the two-volume issue: "Vol. I" appears at the foot of the title page, and the attribution reads" "BY M. LE GRAND" all in uppercase letters -- rather than "By.") The second volume names the translator G. L. Way (who died between the publication of the two volumes), on its title page: "Selected and translated into English verse, by the late Gregory Lewis Way, Esq., with a preface, notes and appendix, by G. Ellis, Esq." The imprint of this second volume reads: "London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. Cleveland Row, St. James's; and sold by R. Faulder, New Bond-Street, 1800." Some of these illustrations also display contributions by former Bewick apprentice Charlton Nesbit and apprentice Luke Clennell.
Seller: Antiquarian Bookshop, Washington, DC, U.S.A.
Price: US$141.16 + shipping
Description: Tall Hardback, 8vo. 11.5 x 9 inches. Halfbound dark maroon morocco leather with decorative gilt edging, marbled paper boards, gilt banding and lettering to spine. Marbled endpapers and blue speckled page edges. In very good condition. Leather rubbed on spine and corners, boards darkened and bumped and chipped along papered edges. Bookplate to front inscribed ?Francis Dorothy Williamson,? and later ?Denis Atkinson.? Some light foxing to inside pages, some occasional pages with some darker spots. Binding all tight and sound. Else a very good clean and tight first edition example. 126pp. "To The Patrons of Fine Printing" (1pp.), "William Somervile" (10pp.), Preface by the Author (7pp.). Illustrated with a decorative title page vignette, and 8 B&W wood-engraved head & tailpiece vignettes, and 4 chapter vignettes on full-pages, by BEWICK. Mr.Bewick, the younger, prepared, and indeed finished on wood, the whole of the designs, except one, before his death in Dec.1795. In executing the engravings "his Brother, Mr.Thomas Bewick, has bestowed every possible care".
Seller: PROCTOR / THE ANTIQUE MAP & BOOKSHOP, DORCHESTER, United Kingdom
SOMERVILE, William . BEWICK, Thomas. The Chase. A Poem. W. Bulmer & Co, London, 1796.
Price: US$224.57 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: xv; vii; 126 pages. Woodcut illustrations throughout by Thomas and John Bewick. Faint splash mark on final leaf. Attractive brick-red morocco small neat repair to upper hinge, raised bands, matching marbled boards and endpapers and pastedowns. Published by Bulmer as a companion to Goldsmith and Parnell's Poems. "This work contains the best specimens of John Bewick's abilities as a designer; all the cuts were drawn by him, except one, but none were engraved by him. Shortly after he had finished the drawings of the blocks, he returned to the North in consequence of ill health. They were engraved by Thomas Bewick . the Gentleman's Magazine says, 'The works of this young artist will be held in estimation; and the engravings to Somervile's Chase will be a monument of fame of more celebrity than marble can bestow.'" Hugo, 94. Pease, 68.
Seller: Roger Collicott Books, Widecombe in the Moor, DEVON, United Kingdom
Price: US$250.24 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: A smart copy of this poem by William Somervile, the first edition to be embellished throughout with numerous engravings by Thomas Bewick. ESTC T108434A large paper volume, the first edition of William Somervile's poemThe Chase, originally published in 1735. This is the first edition with embellishments by renowned illustrators John and Thomas Bewick published in 1796. There is a second edition of this issue published in 1802, with numerous extra illustrations.The Chase, originally 'The Chase', is Somervile's most known poem, in which he pioneered an early English georgic.The true charm of this volume comes from the thirteen illustrations which enrich it, drawn by John Bewick and then engraved by Thomas Bewick.With a brief biographical sketch of Somervile. In a half calf binding with five raised bands and titles stamped in gilt on a leather label to the front board. Externally smart with some shelf wear and a minor edge wear, as well as a minor rubbing to the leather and boards. With a faint damp marking to the front board, causing the cloth to cockle slightly. With a library bookplate to the front pastedown. Internally, firmly bound. With a minor faint scattered spotting ot the leaves, which are, generally, bright and clean. Illustrated with thirteen engravings in text by Thomas Bewick. Very Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
SOMERVILE, WILLIAM.. The Chase. A poem.. , 1796.
Price: US$378.56 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: London, W. Bulmer & Co., Shakespeare Printing Office, 1796. Large 4to. III-XV,(1 blank),I-VII,(1 blank),126 pp. With woodcut vignette on title page, 4 sectional woodcut titles, and 8 woodcut head- and tailpieces. Contemporary full red straight-grained morocco, covers ruled in gilt with ornate blindstamped border, spine in compartments with raised bands, lettered and tooled in gilt. All edges gilt. Head and tail of spine and joints a little rubbed and lightly worn, covers a little soiled with some slight scuffing, and with three small ink stains on upper cover. Foxing throughout, more prominent on a couple of gatherings. With signature of "W Bacon" on front free endpaper and partly erased inscription upside down on rear pastedown, "presented to her in 1802", the armorial bookplate of Thomas Bacon, the bookplate of Christopher Heseltine, and the bookplate of Gunnar Brusewitz. Lacking the preliminary leaf with dedication "To the patrons of fine printing"! Schwerdt Hunting, hawking, shooting II:167. Souhart Bibliographie générale des ouvrages sur la chasse 438. Podeschi Books on the horse and horsemanship 73. Tattersfield Thomas Bewick 2.73. First Bulmer edition, and first edition with wood engravings by Thomas Bewick. The poem was first published in 1735 and became a well-known and popular book. Due to the large number of editions, Schwerdt has only included "the most attractive" in his catalogue. On the present edition, of which he owned one of three copies printed on vellum, he writes: "This edition is the finest of them all, on account of the title and the vignettes, which were engraved by Mr. Thomas Bewick, and designed by (whith the exeption of one) his younger brother, who unfortunately died before he could finish this work." Podeschi was of the same opinion, and included this edition in the Mellon catalogue, writing: "Paul Mellon owns a copy of the first edition [.] but this Bulmer-Bewick edition is pictorially more desirable." Thomas Bewick and the publisher William Bulmer were friends from adolescence but had fallen out over a previous collaboration. Hence Bulmer turned to Thomas' younger brother John Bewick for the execution of the engravings to the present edition. John had already drawn the images on the blocks before he passed, and it was left for Thomas to finish them.
Seller: Mats Rehnström Rare Books SVAF, ILAB, Stockholm, Sweden
Price: US$595.00 + shipping
Description: xx, 76 & xv, 126 pages. Engraved titles with plates and vignettes by John and Thomas Bewick. Laid in are two proof plates from woodblocks by Bewick. The Thomas Whitehead bookplate inside front cover. Parnell volume in four parts each part with its own engraved design page. Parnell, an Anglo-Irish poet and clergyman who was a friend of both Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift. Somerville's fame rests chiefly on The Chase, a poem in 4 books, which has some passages of considerable descriptive power; to which Field Sports may be considered a supplement. It contains a vivid description of his favorite pastime and some lively pictures of animal life. Elegantly printed, wide text margins, raised bands, inner dentelles, spine panels lettered in gilt. Full dark red morocco, marbled endpapers. Aeg. Near fine in fine matching cloth slipcase
Seller: Royoung Bookseller, Inc. ABAA, Ardsley, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$600.00 + shipping
Description: 2 volumes. Illustrated throughout with vignette wood engravings by Thomas and John Bewick, Charlton Nesbit, and John Thurston. Folio, old full dark green morocco; spines gilt and spine and covers adorned with sporting motifs; gilt dentelles; t.e.g. First Bulmer edition of The Chase; Second edition of Hobbinol. Large paper copies. Engraved armorial bookplate on each pastedown; some scattered inoffensive foxing. Some minor use to the handsome bindings; very attractive.
Seller: Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.