1835 · London
by J. DOWNING [pseud Charles Augustus Davis]
London: John Murray, 1835. Second English Edition. 18mo (14.5cm). 19th-c. polished calf, ruled in gilt with tooled turn-ins; morocco spine label; x, [11]-215pp. Board edges scuffed and joints rubbed; mild foxing to prelims; slightly over-opened at title page, but still a crisp copy. Contemporary armorial bookplate of "W. Cantuar" (i.e., William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury).
A passable copy of a rather common book, but with fascinating Cantuarian provenance. This was the best-known work of New York journalist and humorist Charles Augustus Davis (ca 1795-1868). The book is a collection of pseudonymous satirical letters, lampooning the administration of Andrew Jackson, originally published in the New York Daily Advertiser. The character of "Major Jack Downing" was originally the invention of Maine humorist Seba Smith, whose own collection of anti-Jackson satirical pieces was published in 1833 under the title The Life and Writings of Major Jack Downing, spawning many imitators among whom Davis was just one. This edition includes a 4-pp publisher's notice, presumably intended to supply political and social context for British readers. There were American editions in 1834 and 1835. SABIN 18799. BAL 4496 (listing this as a reprint of the Third New York Edition). (Inventory #: 55065)
A passable copy of a rather common book, but with fascinating Cantuarian provenance. This was the best-known work of New York journalist and humorist Charles Augustus Davis (ca 1795-1868). The book is a collection of pseudonymous satirical letters, lampooning the administration of Andrew Jackson, originally published in the New York Daily Advertiser. The character of "Major Jack Downing" was originally the invention of Maine humorist Seba Smith, whose own collection of anti-Jackson satirical pieces was published in 1833 under the title The Life and Writings of Major Jack Downing, spawning many imitators among whom Davis was just one. This edition includes a 4-pp publisher's notice, presumably intended to supply political and social context for British readers. There were American editions in 1834 and 1835. SABIN 18799. BAL 4496 (listing this as a reprint of the Third New York Edition). (Inventory #: 55065)