Items Similar to The Dance of Life a Poem; by Wm. Combe, Th. Rowlandson illustr. - FIRST ed.

The English Dance of Death - by Wm. Combe - Th. Rowlandson illustr.

Lewis CARROLL: Sylvie and Bruno & Sylvie and Bruno Concluded; illustr. FIRST Ed.

Vanity Fair by Wm.Thackeray, Cosway Style Binding, First Edition, First Issue

"The Roosevelts and the Royals", Signed First Ed by Will Swift

'The Life of Nelson" First Edition books by Robert Southey

The Collector's Encyclopedia of Gaudy Dutch and Welsh by John Human, First Ed

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 21

The Dance of Life a Poem; by Wm. Combe, Th. Rowlandson illustr. - FIRST ed.

About the Item

The Dance of Life, a Poem; by the author of "Doctor Syntax" William Combe & Thomas Rowlandson illustrations. London: R. Ackermann, 1817. FIRST EDITION. Tall 8vo, 9 1/4 x 5 3/4 in. (235 x 147 mm); vi + 285 pp. + advertisement, with 26 richly colored aquatint plates including the engraved title page by Thomas Rowlandson, plate offsets throughout, otherwise pages clean and bright. Contemporary black calf, respined, with old green marbled boards, patterned endpapers, raised bands, gilt title and decorations, marbled edges, headbands; light rubbing to bottom edges. Armorial book plate of Graham M. Adee pasted inside front cover. [Tooley 410; Abbey Life 264; Grolier Rowlandson, 38; Prideaux pp. 306-07 & p. 332; Ray 34, p. 28] Near Fine. Rowlandson and Combe had begun a successful collaboration in 1810 on the monthly Doctor Synax series for Rudolph Ackermann's Poetical Magazine, with Rowlandson producing the illustrations first and Combe writing the poetry, in iambic tetrameter, second. They continued this collaborative style on further joint works, including The English Dance of Death (our inventory no. 773) and The Dance of Life. First published in eight monthly parts, this works is one of Rowlandson finest works. Sarah Prideaux, in her work on Aquatint Engravings states that "The Combe-Rowlandson alliance also produced other fruits, the Dance of Death and Dance of Life, being notably above the ordinary level of Combe's verse. These works show the better side of Rowlandson genius." (pp. 306-7) The frontispiece (representing an aged Father Time pointing at various scenes on a gonfalon) and the title-page are dated Dec. 1, 1817. The remaining twenty-four plates are dated irregularly but all are 1817. Graham M. Adee, whose bookplate appears in this volume, was a Captain of the U.S. Navy and then U.S. Senator from Rhode Island. His stunning library of color-plate and sporting books was sold at Parke-Bernet in 1953.

Dimensions:

Height: 9.25 in (23.5 cm)Width: 5.75 in (14.61 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Gold Leaf,Leather

Place of Origin:

England

Period:

Early 19th Century

Date of Manufacture:

1817

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.