A SMART GERMAN EMIGRÉ BINDING

15. SKELTON, John Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate. To King Henry the VIIIth.

London: Printed for C. Davis. 1736

12mo.,68 x 94 mms., pp. engraved frontispiece portrait, xiv, 294, [2pp adverts]. Red morocco, both covers with single fillet border and a central panel of a single fillet and curved tulip bulb motif. Spine with five raised bands, compartments richly decorated in gilt, second and fifth compartment lettered in gilt. All edges gilt, turn-ins tooled in gilt. A handwritten note on the verso of the front free endpaper reads “Bound by Hering”, one of the late 18th-early 19th century German emigré binders working in London and who was best known for his work for the Bibliotheca Spenceriana. Waterstaining to top part of boards and some slight internal staining but otherwise a very good copy of the works of the poet described by Erasmus as “the one light and glory of British letters”.

This is the second edition of John Skelton’s works under this title, the first appearing in 1568. This second edition is essentially the earliest obtainable edition of Skelton as the first is vanishingly rare, only two, badly defective, copies appearing at auction since 1931. Engraved frontispiece portrait inserted. A pencil note on the front-free endpaper reads "Evans sale 1820 P. Cooke Esq". Below this in pencil is the name "Henry Broadley". Beneath this is a note in ink "In the great scarcity of Skelton's doggerel rhymes in B.L. it may be some consolation to a collector of our early poetry to know that this is a very faithful re-print". ESTC: T147425