The every-day book and table book; or everlasting calendar of popular amusements sports pastimes ceremonies manners customs and events incident to each of the three hundred and sixty-five days in past and present times . with The year book of daily recreation and information; concerning remarkable men and manners times and seasons solemnities and merry-makings antiquities and novelties on the plan of the Every-day book and Table book or everlasting calendar of popular amusements sports pastimes ceremonies customs and events incident to each of the three hundred and sixty-five days in past and present times; forming a complete history of the year; and a perpetual key to the almanack.
150227545London: William Tegg & Co.; Glasgow: R. Griffin & Co.; Dublin: Cumming & Ferguson pr. by J. Haddon 182628; 1848. 8vo 22.8 cm 8.98". 4 vols. I: Frontis. incl. in pagination viii pp. 1720 col. 8 adv. pp.; illus. II: Frontis. 6 pp. 860 888 col.; illus. III marked II: Frontis. viii pp. 1712 col.; illus. IV: Frontis. 4 pp. 1644 col. 2 pp.; illus. <br><br>Originally issued as weekly numbers and here in their first book form for the first three volumes: descriptions of the customs and traditions associated with various celebrations many now obscure. Hone 17801842 a bookseller author and reformer noted for battling censorship and other injustices here takes advantage of the topic's broad scope to incorporate an impressive variety of antiquarian anecdotes folklore natural history travelogues historical tales and literary quotations plus the odd scrap of sheet music along with the hagiographies found in the Every-Day volume though the Table Book written in response to the success of the first series dispenses with many of the religious associations and generalizes shamelessly in its topics. The Year Book adds entries on an equally striking variety of subjects including chess Old Edinburgh taverns whale fishing the life and songs of Walther von der Vogelweide witches "Lawless Day" at Exeter morris dancing the Riding of Lanark Marches booksellers of Little Britain "a Chinese tea-man's shop-bill" and an array of biographical and historical notes along with astronomical agricultural almanac and medical information while continuing with the generous helpings of poetry and illustrations seen in the previous volumes. => Americana content is not lacking with entries appearing e.g. on Niagara Falls and "Penn and the Indians."<br>Â Â Â Â "These publications were at once popular educational quaint and socially pertinent" says the DNB. Assorted contributors including Charles Lamb supplied the pieces not written by Hone himself for this entertaining grab-bag illustrated with => over 700 wood engravings some of which were done by George Cruikshank. The Year Book first printed in 1832 appears here in a slightly later edition; all four volumes are in matching cloth bindings.<br>Â Â Â Â Evidence of Readership: In addition to one mischievous artistic addition pencilled glasses and a mustache on the illustration of Blind Hannah there are several highly indignant comments regarding an account of duelling in Charleston South Carolina: "A lie! . . . how English these lies are! English lies!" obviously suggesting an American reader. <br>Â Â Â Â <br>Â Â Â Â Cohn George Cruikshank 402 & 403; NCBEL III 1285. On Hone see: DNB online. Publisher's brown cloth covers with blind-stamped arabesques spines with gilt-stamped title and volume number. Volumes worn overall cloth splitting along spines of these hefty volumes and one with chip to cloth at top of spine front covers and spines sunned hinges inside starting. Exsocial club library: 19th-century bookplates call number and paper label on endpapers title-pages pressure-stamped. Some signatures opened roughly with chipping and sometimes short tears; vol. II with occasional pencilled markings including those embellishments to the image of Blind Hannah col. 221/222 and one page with faint markings in light blue. Scattered minor foxing. => A massive amount of wonderfully various reading with engaging evidence of readership and lots and LOTS of evocative illustrations. William Tegg & Co.; Glasgow: R. Griffin & Co.; Dublin: Cumming & Ferguson (pr. by J. Haddon) hardcover books
