The Social Day, a Poem in Four Cantos
London: James Carpenter & Son, 1823. First edition, Large Paper issue. Hardcover. Later full red levant morocco binding by Riviere, spine ornately gilt, gilt inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt; royal octavo, 268 x 177 mm (10.5 x 7 inches). xvi, [16], 354, [1] pp. (includes subscriber list and errata page). Illustrated with engraved title page and frontispiece and 30 engraved plates - all chine colle india proofs. With printed leaf inserted between pages x and xi (at the end of the Advertisement and beginning of the Preface) dated 12th May, 1823 and headed "Postcript to the Advertisement." Slight edgewear, occasional foxing, else near fine. Very good. Item #15122
Plate 31, engraved by Charles Warren, "The Broken China Jar" (so called in the contents list, plate caption is "Silent the guest surveyed the crowd") was long considered to be the first steel engraved book illustration. Charles Turner Warren (1767-1823) is named in Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers as "the first to succeed as an engraver on steel, for which he received a gold medal from the Society of Arts." The author's "Advertisement" on pages ix & x contains his apology for the long delay in publication of his book. The inserted leaf mentioned above expands on this, explaining the discrepancy implied by the 1-year interval between the 12 May, 1822 date of the dedication to Her Royal Highness Princess Augusta and actual publication in 1823.
Price: $250.00