The Chapter of Kings. Illustrated by Thirty-eight Engravings Exhibiting the Most Important Events in English History
first edition Blindstamped Cloth
1818 · London
by Mr. Collins
London: J. Harris, 1818. First Edition. Blindstamped Cloth. Very Good. 12mo, 5.25 by 4.25 inches, 14 by 11 cm. As noted in title, with 38 hand-colored plates depicting the kings of England. Each plate has a header caption relating a salient fact about the particular king, and the bottom caption carries a line of doggeril that rhymes with the facing page. The book was intended as an instructive text for children, as noted on the rear cover: "Parents and Teachers must have remarked the difficulty Children experience in recollecting the Succession of the English Monarchs, and likewise how much the memory is assited by rhyme." The blurb also notes the "correctness of the Costume and Design". Modern audiences will undoubtedly find the plates suffused with a gory charm, and this is also an early textbook featuring hand-coloring. Light wear to the binding as well as light soiling to the pages. Overall, quite clean and attractive. (Inventory #: 002532)