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[BROWNING, Robert] [SANGORSKI, Alberto, calligrapher and illuminator.] “Rabbi Ben Ezra.” [London: for the Grolier Society, ca. 1905-1912]. 24 cm x 18 cm. in a stunning jeweled opal binding by SANGORSKI and SUTCLIFFE. 22 leaves, plus 8 blanks, superbly illuminated floral borders and a full page miniature of Rabbi Ben Ezra. Colophon statement: recto “The poem of Rabbi Ben Ezra executed by the Grolier Society London, London.” verso “This copy of Rabbi Ben Ezra by Robert Browning, was especially written out, illuminated, and bound by hand and will not be duplicated.” Phoebe A.D. Boyle – Anderson New York, 19-20 November 1923, lot 55. [SOLD]
PRINTED 1786: COMPLETE SETS ARE VERY RARE; None have appeared at auction since 1988 according to ABPC.
Published by the radical bookseller John Almon
The Set:
The new foundling Hospital for wit. Being a collection of fugitive pieces, in prose and verse, not in any other collection. With several pieces never before published. A new edition, corrected… In six volumes. London : J. Debrett, 1786. Compiled by John Almon. The six volumes were first published serially, 1768-1773; the title alludes to “The foundling hospital for wit”, another poetical miscellany, possibly compiled by Sir Charles Hanbury Williams, published in 6 parts, 1743-1749. This volume is an enlarged edition of the 1784 edition, also designated “A new edition, corrected and considerably enlarged”. 18th century calf and marbled boards. All boards present, but four separated and others weakly held by string ties; still the original and attractive boards, wear to morocco spine labels, internally some foxing as always, but generally very good and wide-margined. COMPLETE SET ARE RARE. NO COPIES AT AUCTION SINCE 1988. [SOLD]
“The New Foundling Hospital for Wit is one of the great, popular, yet overlooked collections of British satire. Its editors knew how to make audiences crave more in the way of the scandalous, salacious and outrageous… Few copies survive and no UK research library holds the full run of the first edition. ” [Additional Info here: http://www.pickeringchatto.com/major_works/the_new_foundling_hospital_for_wit_1768_1773]
[HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT IN FRENCH] Johann Kaspar Füssell. Archives de l’histoire des insectes, publiʹees en allemand par Jean Gaspar Fuessly. Traduites en françois. 4to. 26.5 x 20 cm., Elegant script throughout, contemporary binding as depicted, 408 pages. [s.l., s.d.], c. late 18th century and perhaps a pre-publication or fair copy of the published 1794 edition. The magnificent 54 plates, the majority finely colored, are by JR Schellenberg, one of the most famous entomological illustrators of the 18th century and well known for his incredibly lifelike depictions. [SOLD]
