A Comic Alphabet
Leporello. Hardcover. Box.
by Cruikshank, George
Leporello. Hardcover. Box. . Fine. N.d., but an early 20th century restrike of the 1836 original, with bright hand-coloring. Other than the freshness of the paper pastedown on the boards and the outer box which clearly was not the sort issued with a book in the early 19th century, this copy could pass for an exceptionally well-preserved copy of the original. 13.5 by 9 cm. 24 panels, mostly humorous and lightly satirical, but also a few with a more sentimental quality. The front cover resembles the original perfectly, stating "Designed Etched & Published by George Cruikshank No 23 Myddelton Terrace Pentonville 1836" just as the true first edition did, and the back cover headed by a "T", for "Tilt, 86 Fleet Street", the original publisher, and an etching presumably of Tilt himself at his shop. This is NOT the facsimile issued by the Arts Council of Great Britain in the 1970s! The outer box has wear, with one edge of the lower part missing. (Inventory #: 004913)