The Life of George Cruikshank, Jerrold, First Edition 1882. 

Size: 7 5/8 x 5 1/4 in. 

This attractive two-volume set is titled The Life of George Cruikshank, written by Blanchard Jerrold and published by Chatto & Windus in 1882. It is a first edition set that covers the life of George Cruikshank (1792 - 1878), a British caricaturist and book illustrator who was friends with Charles Dickens and illustrated some of Dickens’ books; he was also called the modern Hogarth by his contemporaries.  

Born in London, Cruikshank (also Cruickshank) started off as a caricaturist, then turned to book illustrations; he was also the father of eleven illegitimate children, all by his former servant Adelaide Attree - she was also married at the time. In the 1840’s his focus shifted from book illustrations to an emphasis on alcohol temperance and anti-smoking ads; Cruikshank used to be a heavy drinker, and he started illustrating ads for the National Temperance Society and the Total Abstinence Society. He developed palsy later in life, which affected the quality of his work, and his works are in collections at the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.  

The two volumes are 3/4 bound, with five raised bands, red and black labels with gilt lettering and gilt decorations on the spines, marbled endpapers, half titles, the top edges are gilt, both volumes were printed by Hazell, Watson, and Viney in London and Aylesbury, they both have “1882” in gilt in the bottom compartment on the spine, they are both housed in a burnt orange slipcase, and we know these are first editions by Chatto & Windus because there is only a single date on the title pages and no other printings.  

Volume I has a frontis portrait of Cruikshank, a dedication page to Gustave Dore, a three-page Preface (ix - xi), two pages of Contents, a two-page list of illustrations (forty black and white  illustrations in all), and 284 pages of text. Volume II shows a frontis of The Gin Fiend from a drawing by Dore, with two pages of Contents, a two-page list of illustrations (forty-three black and white illustrations in all), 280 pages of text, and the first chapter in the book is all about The Comic Almanack, which were political prints that attacked the royal family.  

The two books measure 7 5/8 x 5 1/4 inches wide, with tight bindings and clean pages and text, hints of rubbing along the spine of the second volumes, penciled notes on the front free endpapers of the first volume, “Feb 11 1950” is stamped on the end papers at the rear of each volume (probably the owner’s stamp), and there are light waves on the cloth of the slipcase. Still an attractive and uncommon first edition of this set.  

First edition bindings by Bayntun range from $2500 to $3750 and a Kelliegram binding from the library of Jacob Raskob, builder of the Empire State Building, goes for $4000.  

#6167