BOSWELL, JamesBiblio.com
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1884192130London: George Bell and Sons 1884. With autograph letters signed by Johnson and Boswell The unique "Monograph Copy" extra-illustrated with numerous additional plates and an extensive collection of autograph material including autograph letters signed by both Boswell and Johnson. The remaining items derive from an illustrious group of figures within the Johnsonian milieu many of whom feature in Boswell's narratives. This fine set offers a window onto the world Johnson inhabited. Johnson's letter is dated 29 July 1779. He notifies his physician Dr Lawrence that he has been detained in the country and must postpone their meeting. Boswell's which is undated proposes a day to "eat mutton" with Henry Sampson Woodfall 1739-1805 editor and printer of the Public Advertiser which published Boswell's work. These are tipped into the front of volume I alongside two other autograph items. The remaining volumes likewise contain autograph material from different individuals tipped into their fronts together with illuminated plates noting that the Société des Bibliophiles of New York specially bound and extra-illustrated the set. Correspondence from those with whom Johnson was personally and often closely acquainted includes social and professional letters from figures such as Hannah More 1745-1833 Richard Cumberland 1732-1811 Joseph Warton 1722-1800 and Samuel Parr 1747-1825. There is also a legal document signed by Johnson's defender Lord Thurlow 1731-1806. The collection also includes a receipt signed by John Horne Tooke 1736-1812 for a volume of his Diversions of Purley 1786 a philological work that publicly rivalled Johnson's Dictionary. This copy is number 39 of 104 sets. A full inventory of the autograph material is available on request. 15 vols large octavo 237 x 162 mm. Engraved frontispieces many plates with tissue guards. Contemporary brown-green morocco spines lettered in gilt compartments elaborately decorated with foliate design boards panelled in elaborate gilt light brown morocco onlay roundels gilt inner dentelles red morocco doublures with gilt fillets and green morocco onlay frame with gilt roll cream moiré silk flyleaves edges gilt white bookmarkers. Paper repair to autograph material. Spines uniformly sunned else a fine set. hardcover
1791022251London: Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly. Full leather with elegant gilt decorations within the compartments on the spine. First Edition First Issue with "gve" on p. 135. Provenance: On the title pages of both volumes is: P W Baker Ranston 1793. The signer was Peter William Baker a man of cultivated tastes who purchased Ranston House at Iwerne Courtney Dorset. The books were probably inherited by his son Sir Edward Baker Littlehales who rose through the military ranks to become secretary to Lord Cornwallis and wrote about a trip to Detroit in the United States but no evidence reflects that although small bookplates have been removed from inside the front cover. Inside the cover of both volumes can be found the armorial bookplates of Sir Edward Baker the son of Sir Edward Baker Littlehales. Most recently the books were purchased from the library of notable book collector Sydney Ross. Boswells Johnson has often been called the finest biography in the English language. Very Good. . Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1791. Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly hardcover
1791ST20798London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly 1791. FIRST EDITION First State with "gve" reading on p. 135. 267 x 210 mm. 10 1/2 x 8 1/4". Two volumes expanded to eight. <br/> ORNATE AND SUBSTANTIAL 19TH CENTURY FOREST GREEN STRAIGHT-GRAIN MOROCCO covers with a gilt French fillet raised bands spines and some corners renewed with considerable skill their compartments with urn centerpieces flanked by scrolling foliage turn-ins gilt tooled marbled endpapers all edges gilt. First volume with an engraved frontispiece EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED WITH A TOTAL OF 919 PLATES 96 of them hand colored. Each volume with an added facsimile title page. Pottle 79; Day "History of English Literature 1660-1837" pp. 164-65. Boards with a few dark spots mostly where chafing has been covered with dye the hinge at the front of seven volumes with paper covering gone two other hinges partly affected but everything still very tight; some never serious offsetting from plates intermittent minor foxing a handful of leaves in Vol I. Part IV with a repaired open tear to upper margin other trivial defects but still a set with very considerable appeal--full of visual interest internally and looking quite grand in a substantial row.<br/> <br/> Although there are no signs of ownership this is the elegantly bound Jacques Levy copy of what is often considered to be the greatest biography in any language--extra-illustrated here with an enormous number of plates. James Boswell 1740-95 was a personal friend of his subject the main reason that this work proved to be the architect of his enduring reputation. It is a tribute to Boswell's skill as a biographer that the bulk of the text is made up of accounts by the author of situations that he himself created so that his subject would be prompted to behave in a revealing and memorable way. Day tells us that Boswell "was a consummate impresario stage-managing the setting and 'dramatis personae' amidst which Johnson would glitter and then providing topics and opinions to elicit the magnificent rejoinders of Johnson." The result is that we see an unforgettable portrait of a man who was flawed as well as brilliant--in Day's words "the most fully realized figure the most three-dimensional character in literature." Our previous owner New York bibliophile Jacques Levy d. 1980 first began buying on a whim while in Paris for business. He spent the next 40 years building an impressive and eclectic library which included travel literature illustrated books and fine bindings. A dedicated auction of his collection took place at Sotheby's New York on April 20 2012 realizing more than $6 million. The present copy contains more than 900 added plates which illustrate the settings and figures populating the biography as well as expanding the two volumes into an imposing set that is quite attractive on the shelf. The first printing of Boswell's Johnson is easy to obtain but extra-illustrated sets seem to be quite rare: except for the present item which went for $11250 at the Levy sale the last such copy we could trace at auction was a four-volume set sold in 1988. Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly unknown
179110227London: printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly 1791. First edition first state with ‘gve’ on p.135 of the first volume; Mm4 and Nn1 in Volume I and E3 Qq3 and Eee2 in Volume II are cancels. 4to 203 x 295 mm; untrimmed engraved portrait of Johnson by James Heath after Sir Joshua Reynolds browned 2 engraved plates of facsimiles by H. Shepherd. An extraordinary copy in contemporary half calf and the original publisher’s boards and with the edges of the paper all uncut to the extent that it is an exceptional tall copy almost a large paper copy morocco spine labels. Hinges cracked scattered foxing a few trifling stains boards somewhat worn and fragile preserved in a brown cloth chemise and half morocco slipcase. Booklabels of W. Strong 1p. ALS from J. Parsons to him laid in and ink signature of J. Robinson in Volume I. Accompanied by The London Chronicle No. 5414 for May 5 1791 which prints an advertisement for the book.W. Strong is addressed in the letter as Rev.d Archdeacon Strong – he has used the blank page of the letter to make notes on volume II of the book and has added some notes on the front pastedown and on another small sheet which is inserted loose.<br>‘Boswell's<em> </em>Life of Johnson is one of the best books in the world. It is assuredly a great very great work. Homer is not more decidedly the first of Heroic Poets - Shakespeare is not more decidedly the first of Orators than Boswell is the first of Biographers. We are not sure that there is in the whole history of the human intellect so singular a phenomenon as this book. Many of the greatest men that ever lived have written biography; Boswell was one of the smallest men that ever lived and he has beaten them all’ Macaulay in the Edinburgh Review 1831 ap. Allibone.<br>W. Jackson Bate Johnson's best modern biographer assessed Boswell's achievement in this way: ‘It was to be a new kind of biography - a life in Scenes as though it were a kind of drama. And when this life in Scenes did appear nothing comparable to it had existed. Nor has anything comparable been written since because that special union of talents opportunities and subject matter has never been duplicated. If there were writers who had Boswell's opportunities of knowing their subject as well they have not had his unusual combination of talents. If they had his talents they have lacked his opportunities. The talents include his gift for empathy and dramatic imitation his ability to draw people out and get them to talk freely his astonishing memory for conversations his zest and gusto his generous capacity for admiration and his sheer industry as a reporter - qualities that are by no means often found together. Whatever its limitations the work remains unique among all writings by one human being about another in the drama fidelity and range of interests in the conversation of one of the most fascinating individuals in history Samuel Johnson’ N. Y.: Harcourt Brace 1977 pp. 365-366.<em><br></em>Adam 2:37. Courtney 172-173. Grolier English 65. Pottle 79. Rothschild 463-465. The greatest biography in the English language – a remarkable untrimmed copy in contemporary boards printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly hardcover
1805007260London: E. Jackson and G. Kearsley 1805. First Edition. Quarter Calf. Cloth slipcase. Very Good. Scarce hand-colored copy of work two parts bound in one. Oblong 27 by 34.5 cm. 20 hand-colored etched plates. The prints are inspired by Boswell's "Journal of a Tour in the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson" which originally appeared in 1785. Additional plates include an engraved portrait of Johnson by Thomas Trotter two hand-colored Cruikshank plates satirizing life in Scotland and the seven etched plates from "Outlines of the Opposition Collected from the Designs of the Most Capital Jacobin Artists" published by Hannah Humphrey in 1794 -- these plates are not colored. Binding heavily rubbed along edges with some chipping and loss of paper pastedown. Calf abraded. Title written in ink on front cover. The etched plate series with a fair amount of light foxing. E. Jackson and G. Kearsley unknown
179180005London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly in The Poultry 1791. First edition first issue of both volumes of the most celebrated biography in the English language which was published on May 16 1791 in a print run of only 1750 copies. Quarto bound in contemporary half calf over marbled boards. Frontispiece portrait of Samuel Johnson engraved by J. Heath after the Sir Joshua Reynolds 1756 painting. Volume one is the first state with the word “give†reading on page 135 line 10. First state of volume two with two engraved illustrations “The Round Robin†at p. 92 and the “facsimiles†of Dr. Johnson's handwriting on p. 588. In near fine condition with light toning an excellent example of this landmark work. “Boswell excelled in insight into human nature and in ability to dramatize a situation… It was a crucial part of Boswell’s magic to give significance and vitality to the apparently trivial; it is this trait together with his notable accuracy and unparalleled completeness of portraiture that made him… ‘the Shakespeare of biographers†Baugh et al. 1065-66. "One of Western literature's most germinal achievements: unprecedented in its time in its depth of research and its extensive use of private correspondence and recorded conversation." Gordon Turnbull Oxford DNB. Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, in The Poultry hardcover
1791120374London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly in The Poultry 1791. First edition first issue of both volumes of the most celebrated biography in the English language which was published on May 16 1791 in a print run of only 1750 copies. Quarto bound in full morocco by Birdsall gilt titles and tooling to the spine raised bands inner dentelles all edges gilt. Frontispiece portrait of Samuel Johnson engraved by J. Heath after the Sir Joshua Reynolds 1756 painting. Housed in a custom clamshell box. In fine condition. An excellent example of this landmark work. “Boswell excelled in insight into human nature and in ability to dramatize a situation… It was a crucial part of Boswell’s magic to give significance and vitality to the apparently trivial; it is this trait together with his notable accuracy and unparalleled completeness of portraiture that made him… ‘the Shakespeare of biographers†Baugh et al. 1065-66. "One of Western literature's most germinal achievements: unprecedented in its time in its depth of research and its extensive use of private correspondence and recorded conversation." Gordon Turnbull Oxford DNB. Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, in The Poultry hardcover
179168052London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly 1791. JOHNSON Samuel. D. Comprehending an Account of His Studies and Numerous Works in Chronological Order; a Series of His Epistolary Correspondence and Conversations with Many Eminent Persons; and Various Original Pieces of His Composition never before published. The whole exhibiting a view of literature and literary men in Great-Britain for near half a century during which he flourished. In two volumes. London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly 1791.<br> <br> Full Description:<br> <br> BOSWELL James. The Life of Samuel Johnson LL.D. Comprehending an Account of His Studies and Numerous Works in Chronological Order; a Series of His Epistolary Correspondence and Conversations with Many Eminent Persons; and Various Original Pieces of His Composition never before published. The whole exhibiting a view of literature and literary men in Great-Britain for near half a century during which he flourished. In two volumes. London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly 1791.<br> <br> First edition first issue with "give" spelled "gve" in line 10 on p. 135 of Volume I and with all of the peculiarities cited by Pottle for the first issue including the several uncorrected errors listed for Volume II and the various cancels. Two quarto volumes 11 3/4 x 9 1/16 inches; 297 x 230 mm.; the same dimensions Pottle gives for 'an entirely uncut copy' . xii 16 516; 2 588 i.e. 586 pp. Engraved frontispiece portrait by James Heath after Sir Joshua Reynolds in Volume I two engraved facsimile plates in Volume II. Bound without the front blank in Volume II.<br> <br> Contemporary half calf over marbled boards. Neatly rebacked to style preserving the original gilt spine and burgundy and black morocco gilt lettering labels. A few minor marginal paper flaws not affecting text. Some rubbing to boards and light tip wear. Overall a fine set in the original binding and entirely uncut<br> <br> Courtney & Nichol Smith pp. 172-173. Grolier 100 English 65. Pottle 79. Rothschild 463-465. Sterling 71. Tinker 338.<br> <br> HBS 68052.<br> <br> $15000. Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly unknown
17911704207Baldwin for Dilly 1791. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. First edition first issue with "gve" for "give" on page 135 line 10 in what may be the incredibly scarce original boards. Two volumes quarto. Very good. Some soiling to pages of the second volume. Housed in a custom-made collector's slipcase. This copy has an extra full page frontispiece portrait of Boswell in the second volume not called for in the bibliographies. Baldwin, for Dilly hardcover
17912864London: NP 1791. First Edition. Letter. EXCEPTIONALLY RARE LETTER FROM JAMES BOSWELL TO CARETAKER ANDREW GIBB DATED "30 APRIL 1791" TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE PUBLICATION OF LIFE OF SAMUEL JOHNSON. BOLDLY SIGNED WITH FULL SIGNATURE. Rarely at ease with himself James Boswell was famously a man of contradictions vacillating between different versions of his identity: Lecherous rake or doting husband Sophisticated Londoner or Scottish farmer Savvy businessman or indulgent landlord Rebellious rogue or obedient son If we were to put a pin on Boswell's most consistent character trait it may simply be 'contradictory.'<br /> <br /> In this letter written just two weeks before the publication of Life of Samuel Johnson we see these contradictions on display. The letter to Boswell's new estate manager Andrew Gibb offers a glimpse into Boswell's mind and affairs. On the one hand we see Boswell the provincial gentleman farmer concerned with the daily decisions of running Auchinleck his Scottish estate such as when he mentions "It will be very right to have the hayseed sold" and "let the bull calf be sold." At the same time despite his attempt to make financially savvy choices we are reminded of Boswell's well known kindness to his tenants as is seen here in his attempts to provide "some advantage to the tenants in the way of employment." But of course the managing of his ancestral home was not consistently a priority to Boswell. He pens the letter from London after all. And lest he manage to stay consistently professional and on task in his letter Boswell interrupts his own discussion of the management of Auchinleck with an angry declaration about a former tenant's offenses stating "I find Andrew Dalrymple behaves very ill. He must not be spared." Having followed his own disjointed stream of consciousness he returns to the financial affairs of the state without acknowledging his heated aside. <br /> <br /> What must Andrew Gibb have thought Even within this declaration about Andrew Dalrymple's supposedly terrible misdeeds we see contradictory behavior. In another letter to Gibb of the same year Boswell still furious about Dalrymple goes so far as to demand Gibb "let him be apprehended and imprisoned. I am very unwilling to proceed to extremities; but an example must be made in such a case." Yet apparently months later Dalrymple remained at large. One can imagine Andrew Gibb frequently laughing at his boss's bluster knowing it would likely come to nothing. Although brand new to his role Gibb would continue to serve James Boswell and his descendants as the caretaker to Auchinleck for the next forty-six years. In addition to being called upon to arrest unruly tenants he likely had enormous responsibilities given his boss's frequent absences from the estate as well as his infamously poor business savvy. Indeed at the time of this letter Boswell found himself in a precarious financial situation having taken large loans to purchase the neighborhing estate to Auchinleck.<br /> <br /> Yet we can forgive Boswell's emotional outburst. After all in addition to worrying about his potentially poor business decision and his badly behaved tenant in a few days his magnum opus Life of Samuel Johnson will be released to the world. It is admirable that he is attempting to manage his affairs from afar despite the overwhelming anticipation. He must have been preoccupied with both worry and excitement - will the public appreciate his work Will he succeed in memorializing his great mentor/friend Will the sales be sufficient to justify his audacious land purchases Is all of this haunting his thoughts as he pens this letter to Andrew Gibb <br /> <br /> To add to the energy and anxiety swirling around Boswell's life he notes in the letter that he has just moved to a new address in London on Great Portland Street his final move as he will die in London four years later in 1795. <br /> <br /> The letter grants us a snapshot into the mind of James Boswell during a wonderfully and terrifyingly anticipatory time in his life. It offers us a range of Boswell's contradictions-is he more Londoner or Scotsman Strict or lax landlord Serious estate owner or emotional writer It is delightful to imagine the frantic hand of James Boswell scribbling this letter attempting to stay focused on his faraway affairs while distracted by the expectations of the upcoming weeks. <br /> <br /> The letter reads in full: <br /> <br /> Great Portland Street observe I live here now & not in Queen Anne Street West <br /> 30 April 1791. <br /> Andrew.<br /> <br /> Your last letters have come safe. It will be very right to have the hayseed sold. From a letter from Mr. Grieve at Muir Kirk to Mr. Bruce Campbell I observe that the iron company has commissioned 1000 stone at 6d sixpence delivered there and will perhaps take 1000 more. You must therefore be very active in getting cart to take it to them at a penny a stone which will be some advantage to the tenants in the way of employment. I mentioned before that you must send me a bill for the price. Enclosed is a letter to Mr. Shaw which you will forward. I catchword on recto I find Andrew Dalrymple behaves very ill. He must not be spared. Let the bull calf be sold. <br /> <br /> I remain your wellwisher<br /> <br /> James Boswell. <br /> <br /> Hand-written letter in dark ink with strong and large full signature: "James Boswell." Great Portland Street London England: 30 April 1791. One page 186 mm x 227 mm 7.3" x 8.0 "; Mailing folds with some toning at folds. Contemporary ink smudges in lower margin. In excellent condition in a dark and legible text. Housed in a custom folder. <br /> <br /> SCARCE: We can only trace a handful of James Boswell letters that have ever been on the market.<br /> <br /> References:<br /> <br /> Moss Michael. The Duel between Sir Alexander Boswell and James Stuart: Scottish Squibs and Pistols at Dawn. United Kingdom Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2019.<br /> <br /> Turnbull Gordon. "Boswell James 1740-1795 lawyer diarist and biographer of Samuel Johnson." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. October 10 2019. Oxford University Press. NP unknown
1793685L2London: Henry Baldwin 1793. First edition. Fine Binding. Fine. 10.5" by 8". None. A finely bound copy of this very scarce work with manuscript corrections and additions to Boswell's 'Life of Johnson'. The first edition. With nine contemporary manuscript corrections in black in to references on pages 14-16 18 20 22-23 and 27. The manuscript corrections are very similar to those in the Malahide-Isham copy. The Malahide-Isham copy has had the ink annotations attributed to Boswell himself. The annotations to this copy are very similar to those and indeed match examples of Boswell's later hand in the British Library.Rebound in a fine Sangorski and Sutcliffe binding with their binder's stamp to the verso of front endpaper. With the signatures A1 B-F4 G1. This was Boswell's final lifetime publication and is very scarce. To this title Boswell analyses his first edition of Dr Johnson's life. This biography earned Boswell a great reputation as a biographer. As a great friend of Johnson he was a perfect candidate to write about his life. This biography is a landmark in the development of the genre. Presented as a list with page references to the left this forty-two page work explains the corrections and reasoning behind this. A very scarce beautifully bound copy of this work. In a crushed morocco binding with cloth covered boards. Externally excellent with minor shelfwear. Internally firmly bound. Pages are bright with occasional scattered spots to pages mostly to the first and last few pages. Fine Henry Baldwin unknown
18871249881887. JOHNSON Samuel BOSWELL James. Boswell's Life of Johnson including Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides and Johnson's Diary of a Journey into North Wales. Oxford: Clarendon 1887. Six volumes bound in eleven. Octavo contemporary full navy morocco gilt raised bands top edges gilt uncut. $11000.First George Birkbeck Hill edition of Boswell's Life of Johnson and Johnson's travels extra-illustrated with 1153 finely engraved portraits views maps and facsimiles including many proofs on India paper and facsimile of handwritten note by Hill tipped in. Handsomely bound in full morocco by Riviere & Son.Hill was a renowned Johnsonian scholar; when the Clarendon Press brought out this six-volume set in 1887 ""the edition was accepted as a masterpiece of spacious editing. The index forming the sixth volume is a monument of industry and completeness"" DNB. ""The fascination of Boswell and Johnson's dialogue that dialogue of mind heart and voice round which Boswell organized his great Life is that it is not merely between two very different men but between two epochs. In its pages Romantic Europe speaks to Renaissance Europe and is answered"" Wain 229. Due to the profusion of added plates portraits and facsimiles each of the five text volumes were divided into two volumes for a total of 11 volumes the index volume is not extra-illustrated. Interiors and added plates clean and fine. Volume I Part I and Volume III Part I expertly rebacked with original spine neatly laid down a few other joints slightly tender or with minor reinforcements bindings sound. A very handsome and lavishly extra-illustrated set in excellent condition. hardcover
179131227London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly in the Poultry 1791. 2 volumes. First Edition First Issue with 'gve' on p.135 of the first volume; Mm4 and Nn1 in Volume I and E3 Qq3 and Eee2 in Volume II are cancels as called for. With round robin plate signatures page portrait frontispiece. 4to 275 x 210 mm. full contemporary mottled calf the spines with raised bands separating the compartments the bands ruled in gilt two compartments with terra-cotta-red morocco lettering labels gilt the covers with double gilt fillet rules at the borders gilt tooled edges original endleaves. xii 16 516; 588 pp. A handsome and fine set with the bindings in excellent condition sometime expertly and very sympathetically renewed at the spines to style. A very pleasing set quite clean and crisp throughout. IMPORTANT FIRST EDITION FIRST STATE IN PLEASING CONDITION. Celebrated for its intimacy and vividness Boswell's Life of Johnson "is one of the best books in the world. It is assuredly a great very great work. Homer is not more decidedly the first of heroic Poets--Shakespeare is not more decidedly the first of Dramatists--Demosthenes is not more decidedly the first of Orators than Boswell is the first of Biographers." Macauley in the Edinburgh Review 1831. Boswell learned a great deal about the art of biography from his subject and brought to his task boundless curiosity persistence and zest.<br> Boswell had been collecting material for this work since his first interview with Johnson in 1763 and was confident that his kind of biography "which gives not only a History of Johnson's visible progress through the world and of his publications but a view of his mind in his letters and conversations is the most perfect that can be conceived and will be more of a Life than any work that has ever yet appeared." He said too that: “A sanction to my faculty of giving a just representation of Dr. Johnson I could not conceal. Nor will I suppress my satisfaction in the consciousness that by recording so considerable a portion of the wit and wisdom of the brightest ornament of the eigteenth century I have largely provided for the instruction and entertainment of mankind.†If Boswell does indulge in a little harmless flattery to himself the concluding words of his preface are literally true for Boswell’s Johnson as much as any other book “has largely provided for the instruction and entertainment of mankind.â€<br> Only 1750 copies of the first edition were printed. Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly, in the Poultry hardcover
1791124524London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly in The Poultry 1791. First edition first issue of both volumes of the most celebrated biography in the English language which was published on May 16 1791 in a print run of only 1750 copies. Quarto bound in full calf gilt titles to the spine morocco spine labels. Frontispiece portrait of Samuel Johnson engraved by J. Heath after the Sir Joshua Reynolds 1756 painting. In very good condition. An excellent example of this landmark work. “Boswell excelled in insight into human nature and in ability to dramatize a situation… It was a crucial part of Boswell’s magic to give significance and vitality to the apparently trivial; it is this trait together with his notable accuracy and unparalleled completeness of portraiture that made him… ‘the Shakespeare of biographers†Baugh et al. 1065-66. "One of Western literature's most germinal achievements: unprecedented in its time in its depth of research and its extensive use of private correspondence and recorded conversation." Gordon Turnbull Oxford DNB. Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, in The Poultry unknown
17914147<p>London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly 1791 and 1793. "The Life": first edition. Two Volumes. 4to 272x210mm. pp. xii 16 516: 2 588 i.e. 586; 2 1-42. In volume I duplicates of pp153-56 and pp. 157-60 are bound between pp146-47 and pp150-51 respectively but it is complete. The scarce "Corrections and Additions" are bound in at the end of volume II. Engraved frontispiece portrait by J. Heath from Reynolds's portrait. Two plates with facsimiles of Johnson's handwriting in volume II between pp92-3 and after final page. "give" is correctly spelt at line 10 of p135 of volume I but other misprints usually attributed to the first issue are uncorrected so this is a mixed first and second issue. However the better i.e. Pottle's view is that the misprints or corrections simply reflect the states for individual sheets and one cannot from these assert an issue priority for any copy as a whole. The folding map of Scotland from the Tour of the Hebrides has been bound into volume I. Front pastedown of both volumes has book labels of James Mill London not that Mill sadly B. and M. Leslie and the ownership inscription of J. Innes. Bound in contemporary speckled calf flat spine with black morocco label lettered in gilt joints strengthened. Some slight scratching to the covers. Housed in brown cloth covered box with a little rubbing and scuffing to the extremities. Internally there is a little foxing in places but otherwise this is a very good copy of perhaps the most celebrated biography in English. Macaulay famously described Boswell as "the first of biographers" pre-eminent in his field as Homer Shakespeare and Demosthenes are in theirs. Indeed. That Johnson his own works so rarely read now has such a vivid place in our minds is due entirely to this brilliant work.</p> London: Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly 1791 and 1793. hardcover
1791BSWeBOSW5London: Printed By Henry Baldwin For Charles Dilly 1791. 1791. 2 Volumes. 4to. pp. xii 16contents & errata 516; 1 p.l. 588 ie. 586. engraved frontis. portrait of Johnson by J.Heath after a painting by Joshua Reynolds. 2 engraved plates facsimiles of Johnson's handwriting & a 'Round Robin' with facsimiles of signatures. contemporary sprinkled calf rebacked corners renewed some light scattered foxing throughout - frontis. more heavily affected lower blank corner of final leaf defective. First Edition of the most celebrated biography in English literature with S4r Vol. I in the corrected state reading in line 10 'give' rather than 'gve'; with all the cancels 2 in Vol. I & 5 in Vol. II and misprints listed by Pottle. Grolier One Hundred Books Famous In English Literature 65. NCBEL II 1214. Pottle 79. Rothschild 463 1st Issue. F. London: Printed By Henry Baldwin, For Charles Dilly, 1791. unknown
17936215London: Henry Baldwin 1793. First edition. Near Fine. First issue with "gve" for "give" in the uncorrected state line 10 on p. 135 in Volume I and all of the errata uncorrected. Two quarto volumes 10 3/4 x 8 7/16 inches; 274 x 216 mm. vii 1 blank ix-xii 16 "Table of Contents" and "Corrections and Additions" 516; 2 588 i.e. 586 pp. Engraved frontispiece by James Heath from a portrait of Johnson by Sir Joshua Reynolds in Volume I two engraved facsimile plates in Volume II. "Round Robin." facing p. 92 and "Fac Similes of Dr. Johnson's hand writing" facing p. 588. Together with at the end of volume II: BOSWELL James. The Principal Corrections and Additions to the first edition of Mr. Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson. London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly 1793. Title verso blank 42 pp. Bound by Rivière & Son ca. 1910 in full mottled calf covers with triple gilt rules. Spines with five raised bands decoratively tooled in gilt in compartments red and brown morocco labels lettered in gilt gilt ruled board edges decorative gilt turn-ins marbled end-papers all edges gilt. Expertly rebacked and corners strengthened over fifty years ago with original spines laid down. Occasional light foxing or staining to a few leaves otherwise a fine copy of the first issue with the exceptionally rare Principal Corrections and Additions bound in at the end of volume two.<br /> <br /> "Boswell is the first of biographers. He has no second. He has distanced all his competitors so decidedly that it is not worth while to place them" Macauley. Indeed drawing on his close and longstanding collaboration with Johnson as well as Johnson's own diary James Boswell released a book that was a popular success and helped to establish the modern genre of biography. Still considered an important resource on the life and times of the famed memoirist and dictionary compiler Boswell's Life of Johnson breathes vivid life into one of the most important British figures of the century. "We know of him not as he was known to men of his generation but as he was known to men whose fathers he might have been.and long after his works may be forgotten he will be remembered through Boswell's Life" Macauley. This was Boswell's last publication before his death in 1795. "The work The Principal Corrections and Additions is now difficult to obtain; when it turns up it is almost invariably bound in with a copy of the first edition of the Life" Pottle. <br /> <br /> Regarding the "gve" or "give" question: "gve" is the earlier state. "The first proof shows the word correctly spelled but the lines are punctuated as follows: "Short O short! then be thy reign And give us to the world again." Boswell passed this in the proof but in the revise both proof and revise are in the possession of Mr. Adam he directed the printer to remove the exclamation point in the first line and substitute it for the first period at the end of the second which is in fact the punctuation of the printed text. When the changes were made the "I" dropped out and the printer not noticing what had happened filled up the line by inserting a space between "gve" and "us". After a considerable part of the edition had been printed the error was discovered and corrected in the press" Pottle. The correct first issue as here reads: "Short O short then be thy reign And gve us to the world again!" Near Fine.<br /> <br /> Courtney & Nichol Smith pp. 172-3. Grolier 100 English 65. Pottle 79 & 113. Rothschild 464 & 466. Sterling 71. Tinker 338. Near Fine. Henry Baldwin unknown
1791116527London: Henry Baldwin 1791. First. hardcover. near fine. The whole exhibiting a view of literature and literary men in Great Britain for near half a century during which he flourished. 2 volumes. Engraved frontispiece portrait. Thick 4to handsomely rebound in 3/4 red morocco; gilt-decorated spines with raised bands a.e.g. London: Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly 1791. First Edition later issue. Fine.<br/> <br/> Final three pages of vol. II mispaginated.<br/> <br/> Henry Baldwin unknown
179119741791. All Pottle's Points in a Fine Early Issue Copy of the First Ed Boswell James. THE LIFE OF SAMUEL JOHNSON. London 1791. 1st Edition. 2 volumes quarto early gilt 1/2 calf over old marbled boards. Wear to the board edges the marbled papers of the boards quite rubbed the front hinge of Vol 1 weakened a bit of wear to the spine ends the internals Fine. Vol 1 with engraved frontispiece portrait by Heath after Reynolds Title page blank on reverse i-ii Dedication to Sir Joshua Reynolds iii-vii with blank reverse Advertisement ix-xii Alphabetical Table of Contents to Both Volumes unnumbered which would be xiii-xxvii Corrections and Additions on reverse of last leaf would be xxviii text pp 1-516. With the "gve" reading on page 135 line 10 and the cancels at pp 271-2 and 273-4 Mm and Nn with stubs. The misprints noted by Pottle at page 152 of "The Literary Career of James Boswell" are all present in this copy. Vol 2 with title page blank on reverse and 586pp. wrongly numbered 588 plus the facsimiles facing pp 92 and 588 i.e. the last page. All of the pagination misnumberings noted by Pottle on his p. 153 are present. Cancels are present with stubs at pages 29-30 E 287-8 O o 301-2 Q q 353-4 Zz1 and 395-6 E ee2. All of the misprints noted by Pottle on his page 155 are present. As Pottle believed some of these misprints may have been corrected making two states for the leaf these are all first state. Both volumes with the bookplate of Westport House Mayo County Ireland; seat of the Marquesses of Sligo noting case and shelf number. Bound in at the end of Volume 2 are "The Principal Corrections and Additions to the First Edition of Mr. Boswell's Life of Dr. Johnson" issued in 1793 with Title blank reverse and pp. 1-42. The leaves of this copy measure 10 13/16" x 8 1/4" as against Pottle's measurements for an "entirely uncut copy" of 11 13/16" x 9". hardcover
17916571<p><strong>1791. 1st Edition Limited Edition .</strong> Hardcover. Very Good. Complete in 2 volumes. Illustrated with frontispiece portrait of Johnson by J. Heath after Sir Joshua Reynolds and 2 additional engraved plates. All 3 plates with imprints dated April 10 1791. Frontispiece with the original tissue-guard intact. 4to. Bound in contemporary circa 1800 speckled calf with gilt armorial supralibros on all 4 covers spines with raised bands; red morocco gilt-lettered labels; small black morocco circular volume-number labels. Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly London 1791. First Edition. <strong>Limited to 1750 copies.</strong> <br /><br /><strong>Printed on light blue paper. </strong>Vol. I has the correct give reading on page 135 line 10 generally considered the second state although as Pottle notes booksellers have given this rather uninteresting point more attention than it deserves. The copies printed on light blue paper were presumably reserved for members of the nobility: When Boswell published his The Life of Samuel Johnson the King was sent a copy of the First Edition printed on blue paper dutifully inscribed by Boswell himself. S. J. Patterson The Royal Library. Windsor Castle. in M. L. López-Vidriero P. M. Cátedra eds. El libro antiguo español Vol. III page 203. <br /><br />This blue-paper set belonged to the distinguished British Whig statesman William 1st Baron Grenville PC FRS 1759-1834 who served as Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Prime Minister of Britain from 1806 to 1807. Each volume carries on both covers gilt-stamped armorial supralibros of William Grenville lettered Sigillum W.W. Baronis Grenville Cancellarii Academie Oxoniensis apparently dating from the period 1809-1834 when he was the Chancellor of Oxford University. <br /><br />Boswell's <em>Life of Johnson</em> arguably the most famous biography in any language was first mentioned in the authors extensive diaries in March 1772 although it is likely Boswell conceived of the idea to preserve but a faint impression of Johnson letter to Wilkes 13 July 1765 several years before. The task which Boswell saw as a glory to myself and a benefit to mankind took the best part of two decades to come to fruition and was eventually published 28 years after the first meeting of the author and his subject in Thomas Davies back parlor in 1763. When <em>The</em><em> Life of Samuel Johnson</em> was published in 1791 it at once commanded the admiration that Boswell had sought for so long and it has since suffered no diminution. Its style was unique in that unlike other biographies of that era it directly incorporated conversations that Boswell had noted down at the time for his journals. He also included far more personal and human details than those to which contemporary readers were accustomed. Instead of writing a respectful and dry record of Johnsons public life in the style of the time he painted a vivid portrait of the complete man brought to life through a dramatic style of dialogue. It has often been described as the greatest biography ever written. <br /><br />With the usual cancel leaves Mm4 in Vol. I and E3 Oo4 Qq3 Zz1 and Eee2 in Vol. II leaf Nn1 in Vol. I does not appear to be a cancel. Bindings slightly rubbed with a few minor scratches; light wear and bumping to corners; bottom fore-corner of the front cover of Vol. I somewhat bent; joints somewhat worn with some partial superficial cracking but all boards firmly and securely attached. Interiors with some light scattered spotting and minor foxing; a yellowish stain to page 530 in Vol. II; o/w a solid clean unmarked set with wide margins. <strong>A very rare blue paper copy</strong></p> Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly hardcover
1791150970London: Printed by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly in The Poultry 1791. First edition first issue of both volumes of the most celebrated biography in the English language which was published on May 16 1791 in a print run of only 1750 copies. First issue with "gve" for "give" at line 10 of p.135 in Vol. I where MM4 and NN1 are cancels. Vol. I with Pottle's misprints: upon repeated at p. 48; "reollection" at p. 115; "exhihited" at p. 117; "condescente" at p. 275; and "Harvey" at p. 291 following the spelling "Hervey". Vol. II with title page blank on reverse and p. 586 incorrectly numbered 588 as well as all other misnumberings given by Pottle and the five noted cancels. Quarto bound in full polished calf rebacked gilt ruling and lettering to spine gilt ruling to the front and rear panels marbled endpapers stipple-engraved frontispiece portrait of Johnson by J. Heath after Joshua Reynolds 2 engraved plates all edges marbled. In very good condition. Armorial bookplate to each pastedown. An excellent example of this landmark work. “Boswell excelled in insight into human nature and in ability to dramatize a situation… It was a crucial part of Boswell’s magic to give significance and vitality to the apparently trivial; it is this trait together with his notable accuracy and unparalleled completeness of portraiture that made him… ‘the Shakespeare of biographers†Baugh et al. 1065-66. "One of Western literature's most germinal achievements: unprecedented in its time in its depth of research and its extensive use of private correspondence and recorded conversation." Gordon Turnbull Oxford DNB. Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly, in The Poultry unknown
1835ST17226London: John Murray 1835. First Illustrated Edition Croker's Second Edition. 170 x 105 mm. 6 3/4 x 4 1/4". 10 volumes. <br/> VERY PRETTY PURPLE CRUSHED MOROCCO GILT BY BAYNTUN OF BATH stamp-signed on front turn-in covers with gilt rule border central panel diapered in gilt with knots at line intersection central compartment filled with floral tools raised bands spine compartments with large fleuron gilt lettering gilt-ruled turn-ins with trefoil at corners marbled endpapers all edges gilt. With a total of 51 ILLUSTRATIONS consisting of: engraved frontispiece and extra engraved title page with vignette in each volume a folding map a folding facsimile plate and one double-page plate as called for all by Edward Francis Finden and all hand-colored AND EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED WITH 28 PLATES 10 portraits nine views nine folding facsimile plates four with vignette views ALL COLORED BY HAND all with tissue guards. Pottle 92. Spines just slightly and evenly sunned to a very pleasing burgundy one front hinge exposed with no hint of looseness offsetting from and onto the folding facsimiles other trivial imperfections but A LOVELY SET clean and fresh internally with attractively colored plates in a luscious and lustrous binding with virtually no signs of use.<br/> <br/> This is the first illustrated edition of the work generally considered to be the greatest biography in any language here embellished with additional portraits of Johnson's associates and views of important places in his life. First published in 1791 Boswell's account of Dr. Johnson reveals the most fully realized figure in literature and it prefigures modern biography in emphasizing the character of the subject rather than his deeds. It is also a tribute to Boswell's genius in that the bulk of the text is made up of accounts by the author of situations that he himself created so that his subject would be prompted to behave in a revealing and memorable way. Boswell "was a consummate impresario stage-managing the setting and 'dramatis personae' amidst which Johnson would glitter and then providing topics and opinions to elicit the magnificent rejoinders of Johnson." The result is that we see an unforgettable portrait of a man brilliant and profound and at the same time dogmatic overbearing prejudiced and irascible. Day This edition also includes Johnson's journal of his visit to the Hebrides Islands and "anecdotes by Hawkins Piozzi Murphy Tyers Reynolds Steevens &c. and notes by various hands" in the two final volumes which have the running title "Johnsoniana." Our handsome set is a good example of the early 20th century decorative work typical of the Bayntun firm founded in Bath in 1894 and now the last of the great Victorian trade binderies still in family ownership. It is not terribly uncommon to encounter extra-illustrated examples of this and similar sets of major literary works but it is unusual to find such a set with all the illustrations hand colored. John Murray unknown
1791007319London: Charles Dilly. Printer: Henry Baldwin 1791. Half Morocco. Paper pastedown on boards. Custom cloth slipcase custom cloth dust jacket. Near Fine. 4to. 28.5 by 23 cm. Frontis portrait of Johnson after Reynolds painting engraved by J. Heath. Title Dedication to Reynolds -- vii Table of Contents unpaginated with Corrections and Additions 16 1-516 second title Advertisement -- pagination to xii 1-588 pp. followed by Facsimles of Johnson's hand writing plate. Round Robin plate also present -- Vol. 2 by p. 92. First issue -- "gve in second indented quote line p. 135. Condition: morocco of bindings with some wear -- typical rubbing along joints some along raised bands. Interior: scattered mostly light foxing generally by upper and lower margins or early and final leaves and here and there elsewhere but overall a clean-ish copy and few would find such soiling disconcerting we believe. A very handsome copy of this classic seminal and really sui generis biogaphy of the great Dr. Johnson that more than simply a recounting of his life captures his personality and originality. And a work in which Dr. Johnson can entertain us more than two centuries later almost as if we were present as he was holding forth. Charles Dilly. Printer: Henry Baldwin unknown
19016214London: J.M. Dent & Co 1901. First thus. Three octavo volumes extended to seven 8 7/8 x 6 inches; 222 x 152 mm. Extra-illustrated by the insertion of over six hundred plates including many portraits and scenes by various artists at least one original letter complete with envelope pages from books and periodicals contemporary to the events being related by Boswell including The Gentleman's Magazine notices of marriages and deaths bookseller catalogues auction catalogues etc. some items with hand-written captions many mounted onto stiff paper with decorative borders. Bound by Pfister of New York ca. 1901 in full red morocco covers elaborately stamped in gilt spines with five raised bands decorative gilt inside borders mottled pink endleaves. With the bookplate of Robert Freeman Pick.<br /> <br /> "Boswell is the first of biographers. He has no second. He has distanced all his competitors so decidedly that it is not worth while to place them" Macauley. Indeed drawing on his close and longstanding collaboration with Johnson as well as Johnson's own diary James Boswell released a book that was a popular success and helped to establish the modern genre of biography. Still considered an important resource on the life and times of the famed memoirist and dictionary compiler Boswell's Life of Johnson breathes vivid life into one of the most important British figures of the century. "We know of him not as he was known to men of his generation but as he was known to men whose fathers he might have been.and long after his works may be forgotten he will be remembered through Boswell's Life" Macauley.<br /> <br /> F. J. Pfister was a New York-based bookbinder active during the 1890s and 1900s. A lecture in 1900 he "delivered an interesting address on the art of decorating the covers of books by means of pyrography or of "burning in" with a heated tool the design with which the cover of a book is to be decorated instead of impressing it either blind or gilded with dies or the ordinary binders' tools. Mr. Pfister pointed out that pyrography is not a recent art but an ancient process revived" The Booksellers' League.<br /> <br /> With the Ex-Libris in each volume of one "R.F. Pick" his name across an open book laying on two laurel branches and with a small beetle busily eating his way through the pages. Based on the name the New York bindery and the design of the Ex-Libris it seems highly likely that our Mr. Pick was the bookseller of that name who had an establishment at 136 E. 34th Street New York City and advertised his firm as "Bookseller and Importer" of "Rare and Choice Books". Interestingly on the same page of the Literary Collector dated October 1901 to March 1902 on which we find Mr. Pick's advertisement is one for the bindery F.J. Pfister directly beneath. J.M. Dent & Co unknown
1791163220London: by Henry Baldwin for Charles Dilly 1791. One of Western literature's most germinal achievements First edition of the greatest biography in the English language. It was published in a run of 1750 copies on 16 May 1791 the 28th anniversary of Boswell's first meeting with Johnson. The immense task of compiling the thousands of notes Boswell had recorded on "the great man's talk habits and opinions" was begun after Johnson's death in 1784. Made up of trifling incidents as well as the significant events in Johnson's life the work sold 800 copies in the first two weeks of publication and remains a masterpiece of portraiture. "The Life of Johnson was no single book miraculously produced by an inexperienced author. It was the crowning achievement of an artist who for more than twenty-five years had been deliberately disciplining himself for such a task" Pottle p. xxi. "Homer is not more decidedly the first of heroic poets Shakespeare is not more decidedly the first of dramatists Demosthenes is not more decidedly the first of orators than Boswell is the first of biographers" Macaulay. This copy has all the usual cancels and with one exception all the misprints as called for by Pottle; here vol. I p. 135 is in the second corrected state with "give" on line ten. Pottle rightly observes that "the booksellers have given this rather uninteresting 'point' more attention than it deserves. There are probably varying states of some of the other leaves" p. 151. As corrections were made in the press the misprints are variant states for individual sheets and do not indicate priority of issue for any copy. 2 vols quarto 273 x 192 mm. Stipple-engraved portrait frontispiece of Johnson by James Heath after Sir Joshua Reynolds and 2 engraved plates by H. Shepherd reproducing manuscripts in facsimile. Vol. II bound without original first blank. Mid 20th-century speckled calf to style for Brentano's smooth spines with two red labels central compartments stamped with gilt urn device within decorative border first and final compartments with gilt cross-hatch pattern triple gilt fillets on covers enclosing wide anthemion roll board edges and turn-ins decorated in gilt green endpapers edges gilt. Couple of scuffs and spots of rubbing to leather scattered light foxing to contents; vol. I p. 48 with neat correction to text by an early reader pp. 131-4 soiled; vol. II with tiny faint splash mark to title page margin. A very good copy attractively bound. Courtney 172; ESTC T64481; Grolier English 100 54; NCBEL II p. 1214; Pottle 79; Rothschild 463; Tinker 338. hardcover
