Scenery of Great Britain and Ireland in Aquatint and Lithography, 1770 - 1860, from the Library of J.R. Abbey : A Bibliographical Catalogue

Dawsons of Pall Mall, 1972 reprint of the 1952 first edition (which was limited to 500 copies). Cloth, 4to,. colour frontispiece, xx, 399 pp, 34 plates, 54 text illustrations. 556 entries. Abbey's classic bibliographical catalogue of "colour-plate" books on the scenery of Great Britain and Ireland. From his preface: "I have, for over a quarter of a century, been collecting books on the Scenery of Great Britain and Ireland, illustrated with aquatints or lithographs published between the years 1775 and 1860. In this Bibliographical Catalogue, the word 'Scenery' is not strictly confined to landscape but includes architecture, and urban and social scenes. ... Many of the illustrations are of real beauty, and the fact that a large number are from books of the greatest rarity and therefore known to few in their original form gives added significance to those which are reproduced in this catalogue. It is perhaps true to say that the thirty-five plates are a microcosm of the English scene as well as showing something of the social life of the period. Sporting books have in general been omitted since the subject is so well treated in Mr. Schwerdt's catalogue ...The line-block reproductions are, incidentally, of considerable typographical importance and, in particular, some of the intricate borders reproduced show the ingenious and original work of the compositors...My original idea of recording all books of the period with illustrations printed in aquatint and lithograph printed in two colours has been extended to include examples in which special copies were coloured by hand after printing and, in the case of lithographs, I have included those coloured and even one or two outstanding books containing uncoloured lithograph illustrations....I have added a few notes at the end of the individual bibliographical entries where my knowledge has enabled me to do so." London heads the list of popular subjects with fifty-one publications devoted to its scenes; other significant towns are Brighton (15), Bath (11), Hastings and St Leonards (11), Oxford (10), Cambridge (9), Windsor (8), York (8) and Sidmouth (5). Devonshire leads the counties with 18, followed by Yorkshire (16), the Isle of Wight (10) and Kent (8). The Lake District scores 11, but Derbyshire only four. Title-panel on spine rubbed with some offset to dustwrapper verso, one or two tiny detns to lower edges, faint scratch to rear board, lowest 1mm of spine sunned, otherwise Very Good in a lightly soiled dustwrapper with a little edgewear.