BEAUTIFULLY BOUND COMIC HISTORY OF ENGLAND, WITH 20 HANDCOLORED PLATES BY JOHN LEECH

A'BECKETT, Gilbert Abbott. The Comic History of England. London: Published at the Punch Office, 1847-48. Two volumes. Octavo, early 20th-century full red calf, raised bands, tan and navy morocco spine labels, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. $1100.

First edition, beautifully illustrated with twenty hand-colored plates by John Leech satirizing historical events, beautifully bound by Riviere & Son.

A'Beckett and Leech, fellow staff members at Punch, first produced The Comic History of England in 1847-48. Each volume contains ten hand-colored engravings and numerous text illustrations by noted illustrator John Leech. "As Cruikshank refines upon Gillray and Rowlandson, so Leech refines upon Cruikshank, but to a much greater extent. His humour is to the full as keen, his sense of fun as marked; but it is less grotesque, nearer to truth and to ordinary experience… Its pictures… are of the most graphic and mirth-producing kind, and yet the raillery is invariably good-humoured'' (DNB). Bookplates.

Hand-colored plates vivid, binding beautiful, spines mildly and evenly toned. A fine copy.