The Catspaw. A Comedy in Five Acts, With the Stage Business, Cast of Characters, Costumes, Relative Positions, Etc.

Douglas William Jerrold

Published by William Taylor & Co., 1850

About this Item

1850 first edition thus William Taylor & Co. (NY), 4 5/8 x 7 3/8 inches tall burnt orange cloth hardbound, gilt lettering to spine, 70 pp. plus publisher's ads. Mild rubbing, edgewear and minor staining to covers, with an accesssion number in white to spine. Light stamp from the town library of Woodbridge, a small town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. Small ink number to bottom margin of the "editorial instruction" page just after the title page. Otherwise, apart from a very minor amount of sporadic light foxing to the upper margins throughout, a very good to near fine copy - clean, bright and unmarked. First American edition, following the London issue from the offices of Jerrold's 'Punch' satire magazine earlier in the year (1850). This New York issue includes an editorial introduction which refers to the play's London opening at the Haymarket Theatre and on the verso lists the cast members for both the London and New York presentations in 1850. Scarce. ~LLL~ Douglas William Jerrold (1803-1857) was an English dramatist and writer. Now perhaps better known from his reputation as a brilliant wit in conversation, as a dramatist he was very popular. He dealt with rather humbler forms of social world than had commonly been represented on the boards. He was one of the first and certainly one of the most successful of the men who in defense of the native English drama endeavoured to stem the tide of translation from the French, which threatened early in the 19th century to drown original native talent. His skill in construction and his mastery of epigram and brilliant dialogue are well exemplified in his comedy, 'Time Works Wonders' (Haymarket, 26 April 1845). The tales and sketches which form the bulk of Jerrold's collected works vary much in skill and interest; but, although there are evident traces of their having been composed from week to week, they are always marked by keen satirical observation and pungent wit. Jerrold was a co-founder of 'Punch,' the famed humorous and liberal publication. Jerrold's liberal and radical perspective was portrayed in the magazine under the pseudonym 'Q,' which used satire to attack institutions of the day. Punch was also the forum in which he published in the 1840s his comic series 'Mrs Caudle's Curtain Lectures,' which was later published in book form. Seller Inventory # LLL-0341-413

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Catspaw. A Comedy in Five Acts, With the...

Publisher: William Taylor & Co.

Publication Date: 1850

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good