The Choice Works of Thomas Hood, in Prose and Verse, Including the Cream of the Comic Annuals. With Life of the Author, Portrait, and Over Two Hundred Illustrations. London: Chatto and Windus, 1876.
-------------------
With a very intricate and particularly fine fore-edge painting, uncommonly detailed, depicting scenes from the book:
- Two men having a fist fight on pp.438 titled "A Double Knock".
- A man on horseback with his dog holding an umbrella on pp.651 titled "Out at Elbow".
- Interestingly, the third and final scene on the fore-edge cannot be found in the book; it depicts a man in front of a carriage appearing to be laughing with a backpack and a bag at his feet, this possibly being an artist interpretation of another scene from the book.
The fore-edge paintings copy the illustrations very well and recall the original illustrations with incredible nuance and precision. The fore-edge painting appears to be contemporary to printing, circa the late 19th century, and is a disappearing fore-edge painting, concealed under the gilt page edges.
-------------------
Provenance:
Prize bookplate reading "Bedford County School. "With all thy getting, get understanding." Awarded to R. S. Gense For VI Form Prize. C. W. Ba?me Head Master. Easter 1879."
Blind-stamped bird of prey to the front blank.
-------------------
Very finely bound by Mudie.
Size: 132 x 184 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(2), frontis, t.p., v-xv, 775pp., (2)]
Full red morocco binding with gilt tooled title in a compartment to the spine between raised bands, other compartments with decorative gilt, gilt and blind-stamped borders to both boards. Binding with very minor rubbing and spots of very minor discolouration. Both boards attached with rubbing along joints and hinges cracked, thus somewhat fragile. All page edges gilt with a hidden fore-edge painting visible when the pages are spread, though some of the colour can be seen through the gilt. Shelf and edge wear. No shelf lean. Bookplate attached to front pastedown. Blind-stamped bird of prey to the top corner of the front blank. Binder's stamp to the bottom of the reverso of the front blank. Text block very clean with light toning and occasional foxing.
