Proverbs in Verse, or Moral Instruction ConveyedÉOn the Plan of Hogarth Moralized, by the Same Author.

[ Trusler, John ].

Published by London: Sold by I. Souter, [ca. 1815-17].

About this Item

John Trusler (1735-1820) was a Church of England clergyman author, printer, educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and is credited with publishing the first thesaurus to the English language. He was a compiler of othersÕ works, the most famous of which was a Òmethodised and digestedÓ version of Lord ChesterfieldÕs Letters to His Son (1774), published as Principles of Politeness (1775). Proverbs in Verse is prefaced by TruslerÕs ÒOn English Prosody, or Rules for Reading VerseÓ and contains more than fifty proverbs. Twelvemo. 122, [2], [4, publisherÕs ads] pp. Fifty-six woodcuts by John Bewick. Contemporary calf, neatly rebacked, ruled and stamped in gilt, gilt spine with gilt-lettered black morocco label, all edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Light offsetting from engravings, the occasional minor stain. Contemporary bookplate of Fraser, Fourth Baronet of Ledeclune (Sir William August Fraser) on front pastedown, small ink stamp to lower margin of front flyleaf. A very good, clean copy Early edition, first published in 1800. Another edition was published in 1811. This work is based on a prose version published in 1790 and it uses most of the illustrations from that work. The verse version was aimed at a younger audience and the change from prose to verse was Òwith a view to making them more entertaining.Ó All editions are scarce, known in nine copies or less. John Bewick (bap. 1760-1795) was a wood-engraver and the younger brother of Thomas Bewick. Once in London, he worked for his brotherÕs former employer, Thomas Hodgson of Clerkenwell, a wood-and metal-engraver. Bewick eventually set out on his own and rented rooms from George Percival at 7 Clerkenwell Green. Here, he began his relationship with the eccentric Dr. John Trusler, who lived nearby and printed his own books from his home. Trusler commissioned nine of the sixty-eight titles so far identified as having containing John BewickÕs illustrations. Seller Inventory # 16573

Bibliographic Details

Title: Proverbs in Verse, or Moral Instruction ...

Publisher: London: Sold by I. Souter, [ca. 1815-17].

Binding: Hardcover