SPL Hand Coloured Rare Book Collection Featuring Norman R Bobins

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ACKERMANN, Rudolf (pub)
The Microcosm of London; or, London in Miniature.

"The 'Microcosm of London' is one of the great colour-plate books, and a carefully selected copy should form the cornerstone of any collection of books on this subject. The plates by Rowlandson and Pugin present an unrivaled picture of London in the early 19th century, of historical value, as many of the buildings no longer exist" (Tooley). Early impressions are particularly prized: "original impressions of these splendid plates have a luminous quality entirely absent from later printings" (Abbey).

Published
London: R. Ackermann's Repository of Arts, [1808-1810]
References
Abbey Scenery 212; Adams London Illustrated 99; Martin Hardie pp. 100-103; Prideaux pp. 121-124 and 348; Tooley 7; Bobins II 606 & Bobins III 828.
Plates
104
Binding/Size
L=FOLIO
Value
0-5000
Published
London: R. Ackermann's Repository of Arts, [1808-1810]
Ref
118

FIRST EDITION & early issue with text watermarked 1806-1807 and plates watermarked 1805-1808 and with the errata uncorrected except for that reading coustom" for "custom" on p. 218 of Volume I (see Abbey Scenery p. 138). There are three large quarto volumes (12 7/8 x 10 11/16 inches; 327 x 271 mm.). iv 1 contents] [1 blank] [3]-231 [1 blank]; [iii]-vi [1 contents] [1 blank] 239 [1 blank]; [iii]-iv [1 contents] [1 publisher's note] 280 [6 index and errata] pp. Bound without the half-titles. Woodcut title and engraved dedication leaf in each volume. With 104 hand-coloured aquatint plates, including fifty-four by J. Bluck, twenty-nine by J.C. Stadler, ten by T. Sutherland, ten by J. Hill, and one by Harraden after Rowlandson and Pugin. Seven of the twelve "key plates" are in the first state (Plates 1,3,4,5,6,7and 8). Early nineteenth-century half dark green hard-grain morocco over marbled boards. Spines ruled in black and decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments. Marbled edges and endpapers. Some occasional foxing and browning, slight offsetting from the plates, a few occasional stains. Small ticket on front pastedown of Volume I: Imported by Estes & Lauriat 143 Washington St. Boston (removed from Volume II). An excellent copy. Coloured plates in order: Volume 1. 1. Drawing from Life at the Royal Academy, Somerset House. 2. Exhibition Room, Somerset House. 3. Board Room of the Admiralty. 4. Astley's Amphitheatre. 5. Dining Hall, Asylum. 6. Christie's Auction Room. 7. The Great Hall, Bank of England. 8. Bartholomew Fair. 9. Billingsgate Market. 10. The Hall, Blue Coat School. 11. Bow Street Office. 12. Pass-Room, Bridewell. 13. British Institution (Pall Mall). 14. The Hall and Stair Case, British Museum. 15. The Hall, Carlton House. 16. The Roman Catholic Chapel (Lincoln Inn Fields). 17. Coal Exchange. 18. Royal Cock Pit. 19. Water Engine, Cold-Bath-Fields Prison. 20. The College of Physicians. 21. House of Commons. 22. Court of Chancery, Lincoln's Inn Hall. 23. Court of Common Pleas, Westminster Hall. 24. Court of the King's Bench, Westminster Hall. 25. Court of the Exchequer, Westminster Hall. 26. Covent Garden Market, Westminster Election. 27. Covent Barden Theatre. 28. Custom House from the River Thames. 29. The Long Room, Customs House. 30. Debating Society, Piccadilly. 31. Doctor's Commons. 32. Drury Lane Theatre. Volume 2. 33. Corn Exchange, Mark Lane. 34. Exhibition of Water Coloured Drawings, Old Bond Street 35. Fire in London. 36. Fleet Prison. 37. Foundling Hospital, The Chapel. 38. Freemason's Hall, Great Queen Street. 39. Great Subscription Room at Brooke's St. James's Street. 40. Guildhall. 41. Common Council Chamber, Guildhall. 42. Guildhall. Examination of a Bankrupt before his Creditors-Court of King's Bench. 43. Herald's College, The Hall. 44. Hospital, Middlesex. 45. India House, The Sale Room. 46. King's Bench Prison. 47. King's Mews, Charing Cross. 48. Lambeth Palace. 49. Lloyd's Subscription Room. 50. Leaden Hall Market. 51. Egyptian Hall, Mansion House. 52. House of Lords. 53. Lottery Drawing: Coopers Hall. 54. Magdalen Chapel. 55. The Mint. 56. Mounting Guard, St. James's Park. 57. Newgate. Chapel. 58. Old Bailey. 59. Opera House. 60. Pantheon Masquerade. 61. Philanthropic Society, The Chapel. 62. Pillory, Charing Cross. 63. The Post Office. 64. Quakers Meeting. Volume 3. 65. Queen's Palace, St... James's Park. 66. Royal Circus. 67. Royal Exchange. 68. Royal Institution, Albemarle Street. 69. Sadlers Wells Theatre. 70. Session House, Clerkenwell. 71. Society for the Encouragement of Arts &c. Adelphi. 72. Society of Agriculture. 73. Somerset House, Strand. 74. Stamp Office, Somerset House. 75. New Stock Exchange. 76. Drawing Room St. James's. 77. St. Luke's Hospital. 78. St. Margaret's Westminster. 79. St. Martins, in the Fields. 80. St. Paul's Cathedral. 81. Surrey Institution. 82. Synagogue, Dukes Place, Houndsditch. 83. Tattersall's Horse Repository. 84. Temple Church. 85. View of The Tower. 86. Horse Armoury, Tower. 87. Board of Trade. 88. Trinity House. 89. Vauxhall Garden [caption almost erased]. 90. St. Stephen's Walbrook. 91. Watch House, St. Mary Le Bone. 92. West India Docks. 93. Westminster Abbey. 94. Westminster Hall. 95. Whitehall. 96. Workhouse, St. James's Parish. 97. Greenwich Hospital. 98. Chelsea Hospital. 99. Military College, Chelsea. 100. New Covent Garden Theatre. 101. South Sea House Dividend Hall. 102. Excise Office, Broad Street. 103. View of Westminster Hall and Bridge. 104. A View of London from the Thames, taken opposite the Adelphi.