The Remarkable Life of John Elwes, Esq. Member in Three Successive Parliaments for Berkshire. With Singular Anecdotes, &c. Written by Captain Topham. Supposed to be the Greatest Instance of Penury That Ever Existed. London: Printed by T. Maiden, for Ann Lemoine, and J. Rol.
[Together with]
The Surprising Life, Voyages and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. A Seaman of York, Who, After Surrering Many Hardships by Sea and Land, was Shipwrecked on the Coast of America, and Cast Ashore on an Uninhabited Island, Where He Lived Twenty-Eight Years, Without Any One to Assist Him, or Converse With, But an American Savage, Whose Life He Saved: With His Wonderful Discovery and Deliverance, by an English Captain. Written by Himself. [By Daniel Defoe]. York: T. Deighton.
[Together with]
Memoirs of Two Veteran Soldiers; or, the Military Hospital. Together with Old Edwards, an Interesting Story by Mackenzie; and the Downhill of Life, a Poetic Production, by Mr Collins. Newcastle on Tyre: J. Mitchell, 1807.
[Together with]
History of Betty Bolaine, the Canterbury Miser, Containing an Account of Her Avarice, and Wonderful Escapes from Matrimony. Rochester: S. Caddel.
[Together with]
Third Edition, with Additions. Fairburn's Description of the Popular and Comic New Pantomime, Called Harlequin and Mother Goose, or the Golden Egg, as Performed with Unbounded Applause at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden: Wherein is Fully Described the Transformations, Scenes, &c. Also the Songs. To Which is Added a Crtique on the Performance & Performers, by a Gander of the Garden. Embellished with a Coloured Frontispiece of Mother Goose. London: John Fairburn.
[Together with]
The Victorious Champion. Or the Most Wonderful Adventures of Sebastian. Halesworth: W. Harper, et al.
[Together with]
The Extraordinary Life and Adventures of Robin Hood, Captain of the Robbers of Sherwood Forest, Interspersed with the History of Little John, and His Merry Men All. To Which is Added Songs, from Robin Hood's Garland. London: J. Bailey.
[Together with]
Strange Adventures of Mons De Jardin; By Boccacio. To Which is Added, an Account of T. Pett, the Miser. A Picture of the Good People of England. Anecdote of Dr. Barrow and the Duke of Buckingham. The Robber. The Hernhooter. Disinterested Humanity. And Watty and Meg, a Poem. Newcastle on Tyre: J. Mitchell.
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A very rare and well preserved collection of early 19th century (c.1800-1810) English chapbooks, vividly illustrating the reading culture of the working and middle classes, with tales of miserliness, adventure, popular theatre, and sentimental morality. Featuring striking titles and uncommon provincial imprints from Rochester, York, Newcastle, Halesworth, and London, several with known connections to pantomime, outlaw lore, and literary figures such as Mackenzie, Collins, and Defoe.
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Size: 114 x 195 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(1), t.p., pp.5-38, t.p., pp.3-36, t.p., pp.5-40, t.p., pp.3-36, t.p., 2pp., pp.5-35, t.p., pp.5-36, t.p., pp.3-22, t.p., pp.5-36, (1)].
Quarter brown calf over paper backed boards with a dulled label affixed to the spine. Binding rubbed and scuffed with prominent wear to corners. Both boards attached with rubbing along joints, front hinge cracked, and rear hinge starting, thus fragile. Shelf and edge wear. Page edges dulled. Leaves uncut and thus uneven, some closed tears. Text block generally clean with mild toning and sporadic foxing, marks. Small tear to the side of the first title page. Small hole to pp.25/26 of The Life of John Elwes, with very minor loss of text. Ink inscription to pp.40 of Memoirs of Two Veteran Soldiers. Very small hole to pp.13/14 of Robin Hood, with very minor loss of text. Lacking all frontispieces. Robin Hood lacking the last ten pages (calling for 32pp.).
WorldCat suggests the date of The Life of John Elwes as 1802, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe as 1788 (but probably is later and circa 1800-1810), Betty Bolaine as 1825, Fairburn's Mother Goose as 1807, The Victorious Champion as 1807, Robin Hood as between 1808 and 1822.
[OCLC 702357757, 1346308771, 1064373849, 1064204933, 933784635, 863342666, 863306123, 846657357].
