Lot 20•
MINIATURE BOOKS The Book of Nouns, FIRST EDITION, 1800
11 March 2020, 13:00 GMT
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £3,562.50 inc. premium
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MINIATURE DICTIONARY
The Book of Nouns, or Things That May Be Seen, FIRST EDITION, 128pp., 63 full-page woodcut illustrations, grease stain to opening 15 leaves (heavier on title and first few leaves), contemporary black morocco, spine gilt [ESTC T184365; Bondy, pp.66-6; Osborne II, p.697, imperfect copy; cf. Spielmann 64A, 1806 edition] 32mo (52 x 38mm.), Printed by Darton and Harvey, Gracechurch Street, 1800
Footnotes
Rare first edition of The Book of Nouns, a miniature illustrated alphabet book described by Louis W. Bondy as "one of the most delightful early volumes". Illustrated with 63 charming woodcut illustrations, it mostly comprises a list of single words, with occasional short phrases ("A Beaver has soft fur", "Never play with edge tools"), and a section after p.155 devoted to "Names of People, Trades, Etc.", such as "Alderman, African, Artist, Butcher, Broker, Banker..". This edition has the publisher's name and date of publication (1800) on the title-page, the publisher's imprint repeated on recto of final leaf, and a full-page woodcut of a man riding a mule with a basket of vegetables on verso, whilst the copies cited by Bondy and Osborne do not appear to have the final woodcut, and have the date "25 March 1801" on p.65.