Pagination: [2 blanks, "Ex libris JCP" to recto] [2 - h.t., blank] [2 - t.p., blank], [i] ii-viii, [1] 2-358 [2 blanks]; 20 engraved plates, unsigned, one before every chant, by Gravelot (Hubert-François Bourguignon). Binding: Full mottled calf, restored, flat spine, decorated in gilt, red labels with gilt lettering "Oeuvres de Voltaire; La Pucelle, tom XXII"; marbled endpapers and all margins.                

Fables de La Fontaine / édition illustrée par J. J. Grandville (in 2 volumes). – Paris: H. Fournier Ainé, Perronin, 1838. Imp. H. Fournier et Ce, 14 rue de Seine (Premier Tirage). Vol 1: [2 - ht, imprim.] [2 - blank with handwritten inscription, frontis.] [2 - t.p., blank], [ [i] ii-xxviii - épitre, préface, [2 - plate 'fables', [1] 2 - dedication, [3, 4 - pltate: livre 1, blank] [5, 6 - plate: blank, cigale] [7] 8 - fab.1 (the subsequent plates are not paginated) - 292. (245-246 - Avertissement), (247-248 - A mamdam de Montespan); Wood engravings: frontispiece + half-title Fables + 7 running half-titles Livres des Fables + 72 plates. Vol. 2: [2 - ht, imprim.] [2 - t.p., blank] [1, 2 - plate 'livre 8', blank] [3] 4-312 (191-192 épilogue), (195-196 Au duc de Bourgogne), (268 - fin des fables), (269-296 Philemon et Baucis | D. O. M. | La Martone Déphèse | Belphegor), (297 -308 notice), (309-312 table); Wood engravings: 5 running half-titles Livres des Fables + 1 half-title Philemon et Baucis  + 48 plates. Size: 8vo, 23.2 x 15 cm. Binding: Full tree-calf, flat spine stamped with gilt, red and brown labels with gilt lettering, marbled endpapers. Handwritten nut ink inscription to blank recto of frontispiece: the history of Millet-Fontaine family (provenance?) There were two print-runs in the year 1838. According to Léopold Carteret (Le trésor du bibliophile. Epoque romantique. 1801-1875 / Livres illustrés du XIXe siècle. – Paris: L. Carteret; imprim. Lahure, 1927, pp. 357-9), the first run (Premier Tirage) published by H. Fournier and Perrotin, while the Second Tirage by H. Fournier Ainé. Though, the initial cap character "N" at p. xiii (vie d'Ésope) in this copy is formed by 'faite de lignes bouclées' as in the first print-run, rather than by 'petits carreaux noirs et blances' as in the second. We can conclude with confidence that this copy belongs to Premier Tirage. Wood engravings (135 plates, including frontispiece, and numerous headpieces and initial letters) were cut by the following artists (the first number is the number of the chapter ('livre'), the second – the number of the fable within the 'livre': Wood engravers: John Bastin, (British, fl. 1840 – 1850): 6-6, 7-13, and 8-9. Alexandre Belhatte (French, born in 1811): 3-11 and chapter title pages to 'livres' 6, 11, 12, headpices on p. 117 in vol. 2, and 'Philemon et Baucis' section title page. J. Constantine Beneworth (active France, 19th century): 1-6. Louis-Henri Brévière (French, 1797 – 1869): 1-10, 2-7, 6-10, 6-21, 7-4, 8-10, 8-27, 9-3, 10-4, 12-11, frontispice, together with François-Louis Français (French, 1814–1897), and 'Fin des fables' tailpiece. Brévière et Hébert: Louis-Henri Brévière (French, 1797 – 1869) and César-Auguste Hébert (French, active 19th century): 1-1, 1-2, 1-13, 1-18, 2-2, 2-11, 3-1, 3-3, 3-4, 3-18, 4-20, 4-21, 4-22, 5-5, 5-20, 6-2, 6-8, 7-3, 8-7, 8-12, 8-14, 8-17, 9-14, 10-6, 10-16, 11-6, 12-4, 12-25. Joseph-Hippolyte-Jules Caqué (French, 1814 – 1885): 7-11 and headpieces on p. 251 in vol. 1 and on p. 197 in vol. 2. Prosper-Adolphe-Léon Cherrier (French, born 1806): 8-6. Henry Isidore Chevauchet (French, fl. 1837 – 1850): 1-19, 2-4, and 4-5. Louis Dujardin (French, 1808 – 1859): 10-9. Pierre-François Godard (French, 1768 – 1838): 1-5, 1-16, 5-2, and 10-11. Charles David Laing (British, fl. 1836 – 1853): 7-9. Lacoste père et fils aîné et Auguste-Alexandre Guillaumot (French, 1815 – 1892): 1-4, 1-20, 9-17, and 11-5. Laisné (Alfred, Adèle, and Aglaé) (French, active 1835–1868): 5-8, 6-5, 6-17, 8-2, 8-15, 9-9, 9-10, 11-1, 11-8, 12-10. (Alfred, Adèle, and Aglaé) Laisné (French, active 1835–1868): 5-8, 6-5, 6-17, 8-2, 8-15, 9-9, 9-10, 11-1, 11-8, 12-10. Théodore Maurisset (French, fl. 1834 – 1859): 2-14 and 6-13. Antoine-Alphée Piaud (French, 1813 – 1867): 1-17, 2-9, 2-16, 4-1, 4-4, 5-15, 5-17, 5-18, 5-21, 8-22, 8-23, 8-25, 9-19, 10-13, 11-3, 11-9, 12-13, 12-15, 12-21, three 'livres': 3, 9, 10, and headpiece on p. 71 in vol. 2. Roux-Jourdain: Two 'livre' title pages, 1 and 2. John Orrin Smith (British, 1799 – 1843): 2-13, 2-18, 3-9, 3-14, 4-9, and 4-14.L. Chauchefoin (French): 2-3 and 5.13. Matthew Urlwin Sears (British, 1799 – 1870): 10-1 and 12-9. Monogram TM or MT (possibly for Théodore Maurisset): 6-16 and 10-3. Monogram GO–> (possibly for Godard) : 5-3, 7-1, and 9-5. Monogram B and BV: 4-11, 12-6, 'livre' 4, and headpieces on p. 1 in vol. 1 and on p. 167 in vol. 2. Unsigned or with an illegible signature: "fables' section title, 1-3, 1-9, 3-5, 3-8, 4-15, 4-18, 5-10, 7-7, 7-16, 9-2, 9-4, 12-2, 12-3, 12-17, and two 'livre' title pages, 5 and 8. Little is know about Matthew Urlwin Sears. He was a wood engraver of good reputation who is known to have worked in London in the early 1820s, Paris and Leipzig. Listed as "wood engraver" on records of the UK Printing Historical Society. Work The British Museum owns three of his earliest published works, engravings for Northcote's Fables (1828). He authored "Specimen of stereotype ornaments, 1825" which was reprinted as a facsimile in 1990 by the Printing Historical Society (London), with a foreword by James Mosley. He is mentioned by Pierre Gusman in "La Gravure sur Bois en France" (Paris, 1929). Laurent's Histoire de l'Empereur Napoleon, (1839) is one of many publications on which both Sears and his partner John Quartly worked, as well as numerous other engravers. His work appeared in "Aunt Effie's Rhymes" (1852) and "Uncle Tom's Cabin", by Harriet Beech Stowe (Edinburgh: Adam and Charles Black, 1853) [Claire-Juliette Beale, December 2009].

  Title page: RECUEIL | DE CONTES | ET | DE POEMES, | PAR M. D**. | CI-DEVANT MOUSQUETAIRE. | TROSIÉME ÉDITION | AUGUMENTÉE | DE L'HERMITAGE DE BEAUVAIS. | [device] | A LA HAYE, | Et se trouve à Paris, | Chez Delalain, Libraire, rue de la Comédie | Française. | — | M. D. CC. LXX. IRZA | ET MARSIS , | POËME, includes: L'isle merveilleuse, Poëme, Chant 1re et Chant 2nd, Invocation a La Fontaine, and Alphonse, Conte – Cohen and De Ricci (#317) describe 2nd edition by the same publisher, 1769, 77 p., with similar illustrations after Charles Eisen: (1) engraved title by Louis Claude Legrand (2) L’Isle 1er: Frontispiece by Joseph de Longueil, (3) headpiece and (4) tailpiece by Emmanuel de Ghendt, and (5) L’Isle 2nd: Frontispiece by Jean Massard, (6) headpiece by Emmanuel de Ghendt + (7) tailpiece unsigned. Les Cerises et la Méprise, Contes en vers – Cohen and De Ricci (#311) also describe the 2nd edition of 1769, with the same (8) frontispiece by De Longueil after Eisen. Sélim et Sélima, Poeme imité de l'allemand; L'hermitage de beauvais, Conte –Cohen and De Ricci (#322) describe edition of 1769 by Sébastien Jorry, with the same (9) frontispiece by Emmanuel de Ghendt after Eisen. Size: 18.6 x 12.3 cm, small 8vo. Binding: polished, multi-coloured stained calf with gilt triple fillet border to boards; gilt floral arabesque and gilt lettering to flat spine: "Oeuvres de Dorat | Contes"; all edges gilt; blue-and-white marbled endpapers. Pagination: ffl, [2] IRZA ET MARSIS engraved half-title / blank, [1-2] - RECUEIL title page / blank, 3-8 (avis sur cette édition); [1 - L'Isle...] 2-184, bfl; Illustrations (copperplate engravings): 5 plates, 2 headpieces and 2 tailpieces. Collation: Octavo; a⁸ (title and avis sur cette édition); A-L⁸, M⁴. Author of the text: Claude Joseph Dorat, (French, 1734 – 1780) Artist: Charles-Dominique-JosephEisen (French, 1720 – 1778) Engravers: Emmanuel Jean Nepomucène de Ghendt (French, 1738 – 1815) Louis Claude Legrand (French, 1723 – 1807) Joseph de Longueil (French, 1730 – 1792) Jean Massard (French, 1740 – 1822)  

Title (black and red): ANTIQUITATES CHRISTIANÆ: |—| OR, THE | HISTORY | OF THE | LIFE AND DEATH | OF THE | HOLY JESUS: | AS ALSO THE Lives, Acts and Martyrdoms | OF HIS | APOSTLES. |—| IN TWO PARTS. |—| The Firƒt Part, containing The Life of CHRIST, written by | Jer. Taylor, Late Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. | The Second, Containing The Lives of the APOSTLES, with an | Enumeration, and ƒome Brief Remarks upon their firƒt Successors in | the Five Great APOSTOLICAL CHURCHES, | By WILLIAM CAVE, D. D. Chaplain in | Ordinary to His MAJESTY. | By whom alƒo is added an APPARATUS, or Diƒcourƒe Introductory to the whole Work, | concerning the Three Great Diƒpenƒations of the Church, Patriarchal, Moƒaical, and Evangelical. |—| THE EIGHTH EDITION. |—| Orig. contr. Celƒ. lib. 1. in Proœm. p. 1, 2. | [text in Greek] |—| LONDON, | Printed by R. N. for Luke Meredith, at the Sign of the Star in | St. Paul's Church-Yard, MDCXCIV. Collation of this book is unusual, it is called "Folio in 6s" (three sheets are folded in half to create a gathering of 6 leaves). Two unsigned leaves: (1) Engraved frontispiece "The Annunciation" by Willian Faithorne "the Elder" (British, 1616 – 1691), recto blank; (2) engraved title by the same engraver, verso blank; (*) gathering of 4: black and red title page, verso blank; epistle; to reader; imprim. (A⁶ to Sƒ⁶) Engraved portrait of Jeremy Taylor by Pierre Lombart (French, 1612 – 1682); faux title page: "The Great Exemplar of Sanctity and Holy Life... MDCXCIII"; dedication; contents, then to the end of the first book. (A-Z⁴ Aa-Bb⁴ Cc²) The second book has collation in quarto: Faux title page: "Antiquitates Christianæ: or the Lives, Acts and Martyrdoms... MDCXCIV", etc. to the end. Full formula: π² _*⁴ a-c⁶ d⁸ A-Z⁶ Aa-Sƒ⁶ A-Z⁴ Aa-Bb⁴ Cc² Pagination: [12]  I-LI [LII] [12] I-XXVIII, i-vi, (1st book): [2] I-145 [146-150] 151-432 [12]; (2nd book): [8]  i-xiv, 1-188. 22 plates : frontis., t.p., portrait, one folding before p. 65, two after pp. [146], [150], 282, 304, 364, 386, 414, [422], and numerous head-pieces. Size: 36 x 23.5 x 5.7 cm Binding: full calf with the later spine, raised bands; front board with remnants of gilt ruling and blind stamped border, back bord probably original with a blind-stamped centre panel with fleurons.      

Title: TALES | OF | Humour, Gallantry, & Romance, | SELECTED AND TRANSLATED | FROM THE ITALIAN. | Vignette "The Elopement, p. 183" | With sixteen illustrative Drawings by George Cruikshank. | — | LONDON : | PRINTED FOR CHARLES BALDWYN, | NEWGATE STREET. | MDCCCXXVII. Pagination: [2], [v]-vi [2] – Contents (Cohn's collation calls for this at the end) 3-253, [1]; title-page a cancel with vignette 'The Elopment', sixteen other plates by Cruikshank; as per HathiTrust: vi, 253, [3] p. (last p. blank), [16] leaves of plates: ill. Binding: 8vo, 20 x 13 cm, later polished calf, gilt, t.e.g. others untrimmed, by Rivière for H. Sotheran. Note: 1st edition, very rare 3rd issue, with a cancel title-page replacing that of 1824 issue when there were two issues and the work was entitled Italian Tales. Cohn notes the rarity of the 1827 edition, which restores one of the plates 'The Dead Rider', suppressed in the second issue, and also includes the plate done to replace it. "The rarest edition of this work is that published in 1827 in green paper boards [...]. This issue has no edition stated on the title. It has seventeen woodcuts, inclusive of the "Elopement" vignette upon the title. The suppressed plate "The Dear Rider" is restored, and the plate done to replace it is also included. The woodcut in other editions upon the title page is "The Pomegranate Seed". Probably compiled and translated by Thomas Roscoe (cf. National union catalog) from a variety of authors 'out of materials not generally accessible', but also ascribed to J. Y. Akerman and to one "Southern". Two or three tales that furnished plots for Shakespeare. Catalogue Raisonné: Cohn 444; this issue not found in OCLC or COPAC.