Tournament, The;

London: Printed for William Sams, 1823. Twenty-Four Plates Depicting a Medieval Tournament

[ROWLANDSON, Thomas, illustrator, attributed to]. The Tournament; or, Days of Chivalry. With twenty-four engravings. London: Printed for William Sams, 1823.

First edition. Octavo (8 7/8 x 5 3/4 inches; 226 x 146 mm.). [2], [1]-59 pp. Twenty-four unsigned hand-colored aquatint proof plates on India Paper mounted, all with imprint "London Pub. by W. Sams 1822."

Bound by Henderson & Bisset, Edinburgh ca 1890 in three quarter red morocco over marbled boards, ruled in gilt. Spine with five raised bands decoratively toole and lettered (truncated) in gilt in compartments, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. With the armorial bookplate "Omnia Vincit Veritas" (truth conquers all things) front paste-down. A fine example.

Beautiful hand-colored plates, accompanied by a long poem on the adventures of a medieval knight. An anonymous verse work on a medieval jousting tournament and the colorful events surrounding it, reflecting the popularity of the subject in the 19th century as evinced by the various works by Meyrick and the publication in 1839 of the Eglington Tournament.

"The National Library of Scotland has: 'A specimen book of binders' tools, prepared for use in the firm of Henderson & Bisset of Edinburgh, about 1860.' Stated to be bookbinders to the Queen from 1839 to 1892." (British Museum).

Although OCLC records attribute Thomas Rowlandson as the illustrator, his name does not appear anywhere in the book itself.

Not in Abbey or Tooley. (Inventory #: 05903)