London. A Pilgrimage. By Gustave Dore and Blanchard Jerrold. London: Grant & Co., MDCCCLXXII (1872).
A MOST EXCELLENT COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION OF PERHAPS DORE'S MAGNUM OPUS: HIS FAMOUS ILLUSTRATED WORK ON LONDON WHICH VINCENT VAN GOGH CALLED "SUPERB"
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One of the finest illustrated works of London. In 1869, French artist Gustave Doré began an extraordinary collaboration with the British journalist Blanchard Jerrold. Together, over four years, they produced a landmark account of the deprivation and squalor of mid-Victorian London
Vincent Van Gogh remarked of the illustrations in this book: "The other day, I saw a complete set of Dore's pictures of London. I tell you it is superb, and noble in sentiment" (Malan, 281). "One can hardly deny that Doré is not merely one of the most popular but also one of the greatest of all illustrators… Perhaps Taine summed up Doré's appeal most eloquently: 'every imagination appeared languid in comparison with his. For energy, force, superabundance, originality, sparkle, and gloomy grandeur, I know only one equal to his that of Tintoretto" (Ray, 327-29)
"By 1872, Doré was the most popular artist in England, illustrator or painter. This work was eagerly awaited by the English public, having been postponed by the Franco-Prussian War… The idea was to match Doré's artistic genius with an in-depth view of all segments of London society the rich and the poor, the common people at work and play, famous sites and slums, nobility and criminals, Many were the days and nights that Doré went in disguise, with undercover policemen for protection, to see parts of London not listed in any tour guide… The result was a book often hailed as the greatest visual expression of the social class struggle ever published" (Malan, 127).
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Size: 326 x 404 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(1), engraved title, t.p., 5ff., i-xii, 191pp., 1pp., (2)]
Half red calf over red block backed boards with two black tooled labels in compartments to the spine between raised bands, bands with decorative gilt, and gilt detailing where the material changes on the boards. Binding in excellent condition with few very minor marks, very minor rubbing, and some cloth bubbling on the rear board. Both boards securely attached. Very minor shelf and edge wear. All page edges gilt with some scratches. No attached bookplates or ownership inscriptions. Text block lightly toned with occasional foxing. Plates lightly foxed and offset. One plate detached with some damp staining to edges and small tears. Front pastedown bubbling. Some marks to pp.58. Some plates are not as according to the list of plates as there are 5 plates misbound at least compared to the plate list - four are in places where they are not listed, and one is loose, otherwise the book does indeed collate as complete.
