Syntaxe

1815 · rif. Flo551 — Good copy only of the first edition of Cruikshank's corruscating attack on Napoleon Complete with all 30 aquatints by a young George Cruikshank Hand-coloured engraved title-page and 29 hand-colored aquatint plates several bound out of order With text pages mis-numbered 107 for 109 211 for 121 and 186 for 187 and errors in the plates "Seige" "Liepsic" and "Seigning" indicating an early issue of the first edition. The Life of Napoleon was originally issued in fifteen weekly parts from November 1814 to February 1815 is a mock-epic poem depicting events from the life of Napoleon Bonaparte portraying the French emperor's military actions in a largely negative light. It was supposed to be a celebration of the exile of the tyrant from the world stage and concludes with his arrival on the remote island of Elba. Little did the artist know however that just months later Boney would return to raise an army to challenge the European powers once again only to be finally crushed at Waterloo in June 1815. The vignettes in the illustrated title page show Boney leaving the island of his birth climbing to power over a guillotine sitting astride the world as Emperor before sliding down a lightning bolt to sit on a toadstool on the island of Elba. The other engravings follow Napoleon's progress from his time at military college to his abdication in 1814 and focus on the massacres murders war crimes invasions and atrocities of the Napoleonic era. George Cruikshank 1792-1878 was an English caricaturist and book illustrator son of the Scottish artist Isaac Cruikshank. He became famous for his political cartoons and illustrated the Life of Napoleon when he was just 22 years old. He later illustrated The Humourist 1819 Pierce Egan's rambunctious and drunken Life in London 1821 and was a long-time illustator for The Comic Almanack 1835-1853. He illustrated several Charles Dickens' titles such as Sketches by Boz 1836 Mudfog Papers 1837 Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi 1838 and Oliver Twist 1838. In attributing the poem to "Dr. Syntax" the publisher attempts to credit William Combe author of many popular books illustrated by Thomas Rowlandson. "Until Henry Richard Tedder wrote in Dictionary of National Biography that the Life of Napoleon had been 'wrongfully ascribed' the author was generally supposed to be William Combe who wrote The Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of the Picturesque." Wilfrid Hugh Chesson's George Cruikshank 1908 It appears to be another anonymous hack in the Tegg stable. In late 19th-century French-style binding with black leather spine gilt title and decorative tooling marble boards rubbed marble endpapers book block solid. Interior with offsetting from the plates to the text general grubbiness and thumbprints to text and plates all engraved aquatint plates slightly toned but with rich handcolour. Illegible scribble in ink on front endpaper but dated "Paris Sept. & Nov. 1890" Thomas Tegg hardcover