Old London Bridge: A Romance of the Sixteenth Century.

London: J & DA Darling, 1848-1849. First edition, in the original 12 monthly parts preceding publication in book form. Octavos, continuously paginated, 407 & vii pp. plus large folding engraved plate in part I, 23 other engraved plates throughout (all on thick paper), plus an engraved title page in part XII, & four pages of illustrated ads printed in red & blue in part VIII. Publisher's pictorial tan wraps housed in a later maroon slipcase & chemise lettered by hand in black ink on the spine Although relatively common in book form, OCLC finds two copies only in parts (British Library; British Library Reference Collection) as of 5/22/2020.

Moderately soiled, edge wear (particularly the first & last parts) including small cracks, chips, tears, etc, partial loss at a few spines, rear wrap detached & spine perished on part XII (with old repair using perforated small labels), still Good or so, given particularly the fragile nature of the format

Roswell (1800 - 1852), musical composer, author of works on music theory, romances, farces, and novels, was professor of harmony and composition at the Royal Academy of Music, briefly proprietor of the Adelphi Theatre, & director of music at Covent Garden As noted in an OCLC entry, his romance "Includes a small amount of factual information about the bridge."

The folding plate in part I, measuring 21.25 inches by 9 inches, provides a spectacular view of the bridge. Interestingly, an adjacent tipped in slip advertises the separate availability of the engraving in three varieties: a print offered at sixpence, a large paper copy at a shilling, and a proof on India Paper at two shillings and sixpence.