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195 x 120 mm. (7 3/4 x 4 5/8"). With half titles; without the 36 pp. of ads at the end of Vol. II. Two volumes. VERY PRETTY OLIVE BROWN MOROCCO, GILT, BY TOUT (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with French fillet border, graceful scrolling cornerpieces topped with lancets, raised bands, spine compartments densely gilt, gilt lettering, turn-ins framed in gilt, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. With 13 plates by George Cruikshank. Front pastedowns with engraved armorial bookplate of Edward Penton; front free endpapers with engraved armorial bookplate of F. O. Hutchinson. Eckel, pp. 140-42; Kitton, pp. 177-83; Gimbel Collection B-64. Just a hint of wear to corners, front cover of volume II with faint scratch, two leaves with expertly repaired tear extending from bottom margin well into the page, just a few minor spots or smudges internally, otherwise an especially pleasing copy, the particularly decorative bindings very lustrous and showing few signs of use. This is a very attractively bound copy of Dickens' biography of Joseph Grimaldi (1779-1837), called by Britannica "the most celebrated of English clowns," and generally considered without equal as a clown of pantomime. There has been much debate about the exact nature of Dickens' role in the writing of this book. Forster said that Dickens wrote only the introductory chapter; others have said that he edited the manuscript, with the help of his father; and Bentley has stated in print that Dickens wrote a significant portion of the work. Eckel says, "It is plain that the last chapter is in Dickens' style and that other parts of the book are his. Grimaldi laid the foundation for his memoirs, but in a rough and diffuse manner. He gave the manuscript to Thomas Egerton Wilks, who, after some condensing, sold the manuscript to Bentley, who, in turn, passed it to Dickens for the purpose of embroidery." The handsome binding is a credit to the Tout workshop, which turned out consistently fine work and was especially notable for its elaborate gilt tooling, as seen here. Samuel Tout (1841-1902) operated in Nassau Street in Soho, London, 1868-79 before partnering with William Coward in a Whitechapel location; he continued binding on his own from 1880 to 1898. Then Tout became a member of the early staff of Karslake's Hampstead Bindery, which opened in Charing Cross in 1898. Former owner Edward Penton (1875-1967) was a Liberal Party politician who served as Secretary to the Commonwealth Conference on design, development, and inspection of stores and clothing. FIRST EDITION, First Issue (final plate, "The Last Song," without a frame).
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