GOTHIC - BARNETT, C.Z. [Edward FITZBALL] (contributing authors). FINDLAY (illustrator). Dramatic Tales [13 individual titles, as detailed below]. London; John Duncombe And Co., 10 Middle Row, Holborn. [with variations] Circa 1830.
16mo. (circa 70 x 110 x 30mm); bound in contemporary, or very early, dark red roan-backed drab boards; pp. [iii], 6-34; [iii], 34-62; [iii], 34-62; [iii], 68-96; [iii], 94-122; [iii], 96-124; [iii], 96-124; [iii], 94-122; [iii], 126-154; [iii], 154-182; [iii], 154-182; [iii], [iii], 156-184; [iii], 184-212; complete with 13 folding wood-engraved frontispieces with attractive original hand-colouring; a very good, neat, sound, complete, and pleasing little copy, possibly with very early sympathetic reback or recasing with some internal tightening retaining original or early endpapers; leather spine a touch faded and rubbed, but not chipped or worn, buff boards soiled, though with minimal edge-wear; internally uncommonly nice with some light toning, occasional localised spotting and marking, 5mm lower forecorner loss to one leaf, surface scorched spot to lower forecorner of following couple of leaves, a handful of pages suffering slightly ragged opening with small thumbnail losses (although only one catching text), narrow gutter marking to one leaf, foxing to frontispiece of The Man In The Iron Mask, and one or two vertical creases to text; rare.
Sole editions of these chapbook titles; bound from the original parts with associated stab marks to inner margins. An assemblage of 13 individual titles in the Dramatic Tales series set apart by each title retaining its fine folding handcoloured frontispiece. Authorship for these tales was largely anonymous. The publisher John Duncombe and his brother Edward were associated with radical, theatrical and pornographic publishing but with their venture here, known as the Miniature Library, they made accessible to a wider reading public these popular twopenny tales which were issued in wrappers in five series: Lives and Adventures of the Most Daring Pirates; Perils of the Ocean; Lives and Exploits of the Most Notorious Highwaymen; Brigand Tales and, as here, Dramatic Tales.
The titles comprise:
The Dream of Fate, or Sarah , The Jewess: A Tale of Interest
Dominique, The Resolute; Or, The Devil and the Deserter.
Zazezizozu! Or, Dominoes! Chess! And Cards!!! [Edward Fitzball, suthor] No. 10.
Oscar The Bandit! Or The March of Crime! No. 23
The Skeleton Lover. A Romantic Tale. No. 20.
The Zingaro Girl A Tale of Poland.
The Man In The Iron Mask; Or, The Secrets Of The Bastille.
The Wreck Ashore; Or, The Bridegroom From The Sea.
The Mutineers; Or, The Devil And The Dice.
Lalla Rookh, Or, The Ghebers Of The Desert. A Romantic Tale. No. 22.
Quasimodo, Or, The Gypsey Girl of Notre Dame.[Edward Fitzball, author] No. 6.
The Rent Day. A Domestic Tale.
The Chevy Chace; Or, The Battle of the Borders! An Historical Tale.
Only the following titles located on COPAC, either individually or in bound collections: Wreck Ashore; Dream of Fate; The Man in the Iron Mask; Zazezizozu; Quasimodo and Rent Day (which might be another edition, not in the Dramatic Tales series).
#2118921