Estampas

1809 · ref. Flo542 — Near fine copy of this classic of equestrian humour First edition with the improved Thomas Rowlandson engravings of this popular book that went through many editions Complete copy with 29 handcoloured copperplates engraved by Rowlandson after designs by Henry Bunbury An Academy for Grown Horsemen; containing the Completest Instructions for Walking Trotting Cantering Galloping Strumbling and Tumbling with Annals of Horsemanship: Containing Accounts of Accidental Experiments and Experimental Accidents both Successful and Unsuccessful Communicated by Various Correspondents. The text has been attributed to the artist Henry Bunbury and Francis Grose the antiquarian and compiler of a Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. In the 19th century the humorous text was ascribed to Grose in Catalogue of the library of the late Sir Francis Feeling 1836 John Bohn's Catalogue of English Books 1843 Samuel Halkett's Dictionary of the Anonymous and Pseudonymous Literature of Great Britain 1882 D.C. Sapp's The Honey Jar 1898 etc. John C. Riely however in The Age of Horace Walpole in Caricature 1973 claims that Grose only contributed the introduction. Henry William Bunbury 1750-1811 "drew chiefly in pencil or black and red chalk; but although he seems to have used the needle he was never successful as an etcher and his designs were generally reproduced by engravers mostly in stipple or dot. The three works by which he is best known belong to 1787: A Long Minuet The Propagation of a Lie and the volume of equestrian misadventures called An Academy for Grown Horsemen by Geoffrey Gambado. In 1791 appeared the Annals of Horsemanship a kind of sequel to the Academy for Grown Horseman." D.N.B. His other published works include Angelica Kauffman's Angelica's Ladies Library 1794 Bunbury's Illustrations of Shakspear engraved by Bartolozzi 1796 Tales of the Devil 1801 etc. Full tree-calf leather binding by Myers and Co 80 New Bond Street London rebacked with mottled spine with gilt title boards a little dry and rubbed new endpapers book block solid. Interior very clean all plates under tissue guards copperplates with vivid and delicate hand-colour. One text page 124 with repaired 3cm tear and paper fault that has caused a printing error with no loss to text. Vernor, Hood and Sharpe hardcover