Details
JOHNSON, Samuel -- John HAWKESWORTH (1715-1773, editor). The Adventurer. London: J. Payne, 1753-1754 [but 7 November 1752-March 9 1754].
2 volumes, 2o (311 x 188 mm). Titles with etched portrait vignette, each number with woodcut head-piece and historiated opening initial. (Some occasional minor marginal flaws.) ORIGINAL SHEEP-BACKED GREEN BOARDS with black calf lettering-pieces, UNCUT (spine of vol. I a bit worn, spine of vol. II repaired at head). Provenance: John Wilkes (contemporary signature on pastedowns) -- purchased from Hamill & Barker, Chicago, 18 February 1971.
FIRST EDITION, WITH COLOPHON PRESERVED ON EACH ISSUE. The initial letter M in no. 47 is Fleeman's (c) version. The 140 numbers appeared bi-weekly from Tuesday 7 November 1752 until Saturday 9 March 1754, and were printed on a sheet and a half, continuously paginated with drop-head title and colophon on verso of the third leaf. In typography and general appearance, they are close to the folio Ramblers, and in Fleeman's view are "likely" to have been printed by Cave. It was announced in the first issue that: "These Numbers will be formed into regular Volumes, to each of which will be printed a Title, a Table of Contents, and a Translation of the Mottos and Quotations," and as Fleeman observes the colophons were intentionally "set low on the page to permit the binder to cut them away and give a clean appearance to the bound pages, so that in all trimmed copies they are missing." Rothschild also notes that "in the majority of bound copies, the imprint has been wholly or partly cut away by the binder," and the Rothschild copy itself is without the imprints. John Hawkesworth was the author of most of the essays. Johnson is known to have contributed twenty-five papers signed "T" which he dictated and gave to Dr Richard Bathurst, who sold them for two guineas each; the first paper to be so signed was no. 39; four others signed both "T" and "Misargyrus" are probably also by Johnson. Courtney and Smith p. 39; Chapman and Hazen p. 136; Fleeman 52.11Ad/1; Rothschild 1120. (2)
2 volumes, 2o (311 x 188 mm). Titles with etched portrait vignette, each number with woodcut head-piece and historiated opening initial. (Some occasional minor marginal flaws.) ORIGINAL SHEEP-BACKED GREEN BOARDS with black calf lettering-pieces, UNCUT (spine of vol. I a bit worn, spine of vol. II repaired at head). Provenance: John Wilkes (contemporary signature on pastedowns) -- purchased from Hamill & Barker, Chicago, 18 February 1971.
FIRST EDITION, WITH COLOPHON PRESERVED ON EACH ISSUE. The initial letter M in no. 47 is Fleeman's (c) version. The 140 numbers appeared bi-weekly from Tuesday 7 November 1752 until Saturday 9 March 1754, and were printed on a sheet and a half, continuously paginated with drop-head title and colophon on verso of the third leaf. In typography and general appearance, they are close to the folio Ramblers, and in Fleeman's view are "likely" to have been printed by Cave. It was announced in the first issue that: "These Numbers will be formed into regular Volumes, to each of which will be printed a Title, a Table of Contents, and a Translation of the Mottos and Quotations," and as Fleeman observes the colophons were intentionally "set low on the page to permit the binder to cut them away and give a clean appearance to the bound pages, so that in all trimmed copies they are missing." Rothschild also notes that "in the majority of bound copies, the imprint has been wholly or partly cut away by the binder," and the Rothschild copy itself is without the imprints. John Hawkesworth was the author of most of the essays. Johnson is known to have contributed twenty-five papers signed "T" which he dictated and gave to Dr Richard Bathurst, who sold them for two guineas each; the first paper to be so signed was no. 39; four others signed both "T" and "Misargyrus" are probably also by Johnson. Courtney and Smith p. 39; Chapman and Hazen p. 136; Fleeman 52.11Ad/1; Rothschild 1120. (2)