Rasselas.
by JOHNSON, Samuel
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Hector McLean,, 1819. An attractively bound copy of the author's sole novel with the celebrated illustrations of Robert Smirke. Boswell remarked that none of Jonhson's "writings has been so extensively diffused over Europe" (Boswell, p. 185). This work was originally published in 1759, under the title The Prince of Abissinia: A Tale. Johnson purportedly composed it in the evenings of a single week to defray the costs of his mother's funeral. "Rasselas is his classic expression of the journey theme permeating his writings. The creation of this masterpiece of moral analysis involved a complex synthesis of travel archetypes in history and literature that resulted in a unique interpretation of man's perennial quest for happiness. The tale brilliantly exemplifies that creative interaction between travel books and belles lettres so prevalent in eighteenth-century English literature" (Curley, p. 4). Smirke (1753-1845), a painter, an illustrator, and an exhibitor at the Royal Academy, provided large numbers of illustrations for historical and literary texts, and his "original drawings for Johnson's Rasselas, in brown pigment with white highlights, are at the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut" (ODNB). McLean issued his first edition using Smirke's drawings in 1803; this is his third edition. Quarto (264 x 205 mm). Early 20th-century red straight-grain morocco by Bayntun for Lauriat Co., Boston, spine with raised bands, gilt lettering and decoration in compartments, floral border gilt to covers, board edges and turn-ins richly gilt, marbled endpapers, edges gilt, two red silk Bookmarkers. Engraved frontispiece and 4 plates, with tissue guards, all engraved by A. Raimbach after R. Smirke. Paper sheet with Worthy Hand and Arrows watermark loosely inserted. Christmas 1919 gift inscription in pencil on initial blank. Spot of wear at head of spine, minor scuffs to covers, occasional faint foxing to margins, small damp stain at head of first two leaves, neat paper repair to margin of p. 191, otherwise internally clean: a very good copy. James Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson, vol. I, 1791; Thomas M. Curley, Samuel Johnson and the Age of Travel, 2009.
Reviews
(Log in or Create an Account first!)
Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 167866
- Title
- Rasselas.
- Author
- JOHNSON, Samuel
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Place of Publication
- London: Hector McLean,
- Date Published
- 1819
Terms of Sale
Peter Harrington
All major credit cards are accepted. Both UK pounds and US dollars (exchange rate to be agreed) accepted. Books may be returned within 14 days of receipt for any reason, please notify first of returned goods.
About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Raised Band(s)
- Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Quarto
- The term quarto is used to describe a page or book size. A printed sheet is made with four pages of text on each side, and the...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....