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1825 · 22339 — Printed by Nicol at the Shakspeare Press for John Major Fleet-Street 1825. 8vo. First Major Edition Large Paper with a copper-engraved frontispiece mounted on India Paper 10 fine copper-engraved plates mounted on India Paper and 52 woodcut illustrations and embellishments in the text; handsomely bound in later nineteenth century red full crushed morocco BY MYERS back with five raised bands tooled in gilt second compartment framed and lettered in gilt all other compartments elaborately framed and tooled in gilt to a geometric floral design all edges gilt elaborate gilt doublures marbled endpapers a splendid crisp clean copy in superb signed period binding. With a fine nineteenth century engraved armorial bookplate and binder's ticket on front paste-down. LARGE PAPER STATE OF THE FIRST MAJOR EDITION of Walton's great biographical collection issued as a complement to the same publisher's 1823 edition of The Compleat Angler. Walton lived in the parish of St. Dunstan's where Donne was vicar; his life of his friend was written in 1640 as an introduction to a collection of the poet-clergyman's sermons. The other subjects were also personal friends; their biographies were first published in 1651 Wotton 1665 Hooker 1670 Herbert and 1678 Sanderson. The plates are all early proofs on India Paper; the plate 'The Advocate' is engraved as 'The Pleader'. A LOVELY BRIGHT COPY IN WHOLLY UNRESTORED CONTEMPORARY SIGNED BINDING. JOHNSON RATES THE WORK 'AMONG HIS MOST FAVOURITE BOOKS'. [Printed by Nicol at the Shakspeare Press for] John Major, Fleet-Street, hardcover