[Fore-Edge Painting][Extra-Illustrated] The History of the Isle of Wight

London: Printed by A. Hamilton for R. Dodsley, T. Cadell, G. Robinson, R. Faulder and G. Nicol; Collins and Co., Salisbury, Burdon, at Winchester, 1781. First Edition. Full STraight-Grained Red Morocco. Very Good Plus. Fore-edge painting of Carisbrooke Castle, which is located on the Isle of Wight, in Newport, and is still standing, and very much a tourist destination. Illustrations include a large engraved folding map, hand-colored in its boundary outlines 31 engravings by Vivares, Godfrey and others, 19 of which are double paged, and 13 aquatint plates depicting churches, these rendered by Charles Tomkins. Folio, 31.5 by 25 cm. [12], 274, [8], clxii, (truncated) [1] pp. The book was written by Worsley while he was governor of the Isle of Wight. Worsley was a serious antiquarian, and his home there, Appuldorcombe House, was the repository for the largest collection of ancient Greek sculpture in Britain until the Elgin marbles were brought over. There are two plates showcasing Appuldorcombe House. Condition: Rubbing along edges, and here and there, of the full morocco binding. Still a handsome straight-grained morocco binding. Within some light offsetting, light scattered foxing and/or soil, but overall quite clean, tight, and quite special copy. (Inventory #: 007383)