THE GHOST OF ABEL.A REVELATION IN THE VISIONS OF JEHOVAH.Seen by William Blake.To Lord Byron in the Wilderness.—What dost thou here, Elijah?Can a Poet doubt the Visions of Jehovah? Nature has no Outline:But Imagination has. Nature has no Time; but Imagination has.Nature has no Supernatural, and dissolves; Imagination is Eternity.SCENE.—A rocky Country.Evefainted over the dead body ofAbelwhich lays near a grave.Adamkneels by her.Jehovahstands above.Jehovah.Adam!Adam.It is in vain: I will not hear thee more, thou Spiritual Voice.Is this Death?Jehovah.Adam!Adam.It is in vain; I will not hear theeHenceforth. Is this thy Promise that the Woman’s SeedShould bruise the Serpent’s Head? Is this the Serpent? Ah!Seven times, O Eve, thou hast fainted over the Dead. Ah! Ah!(Everevives.)Eve.Is this the Promise of Jehovah? O it is all a vain delusion,This Death and this Life and this Jehovah.Jehovah.Woman, lift thine eyes.(A Voiceis heard coming on.)Voice.O Earth, cover not thou my blood! cover not thou my blood!(Enter theGhostofAbel.)Eve.Thou visionary Phantasm, thou art not the real Abel.Abel.Among the Elohim a Human Victim I wander: I am their House,Prince of the Air, and our dimensions compass Zenith and Nadir.Vain is thy Covenant, O Jehovah: I am the Accuser and AvengerOf Blood; O Earth, cover not thou the blood of Abel.Jehovah.What vengeance dost thou require?Abel.Life for Life! Life for Life!Jehovah.He who shall take Cain’s life must also die, O Abel;And who is he? Adam, wilt thou, or Eve, thou, do this?Adam.It is all a vain delusion of the all-creative Imagination.Eve, come away, and let us not believe these vain delusions.Abel is dead, and Cain slew him; We shall also die a deathAnd then—what then? be as poor Abel, a Thought; or asThis? O what shall I call thee, Form Divine, Father of Mercies,That appearest to my Spiritual Vision? Eve, seest thou also?Eve.I see him plainly with my mind’s eye: I see also Abel living;Tho’ terribly afflicted, as we also are: yet Jehovah sees himAlive and not dead; were it not better to believe VisionWith all our might and strength, tho’ we are fallen and lost?Adam.Eve, thou hast spoken truly; let us kneel before his feet.(They kneel beforeJehovah.)Abel.Are these the sacrifices of Eternity, O Jehovah? a broken spiritAnd a contrite heart? O, I cannot forgive; the Accuser hathEntered into me as into his house, and I loathe thy Tabernacles.As thou hast said so is it come to pass: My desire is unto CainAnd he doth rule over me: therefore my soul in fumes of bloodCries for vengeance: Sacrifice on Sacrifice, Blood on Blood.Jehovah.Lo, I have given you a Lamb for an Atonement insteadOf the Transgressor, or no Flesh or Spirit could ever live.Abel.Compelled I cry, O Earth, cover not the blood of Abel.(Abelsinks down into the grave, from which arisesSatanarmed inglittering scales with a crown and a spear.)Satan.I will have human blood and not the blood of bulls or goats,And no Atonement, O Jehovah; the Elohim live on SacrificeOf men: hence I am God of men; thou human, O Jehovah.By the rock and oak of the Druid, creeping mistletoe and thorn,Cain’s city built with human blood, not blood of bulls and goats,Thou shalt thyself be sacrificed to me thy God on Calvary.Jehovah.Such is my will—(Thunders)—that thou thyself go to Eternal DeathIn self-annihilation, even till Satan self-subdued put off SatanInto the bottomless abyss whose torment arises for ever and ever.(On each side a Chorus of Angels entering sing the following.)The Elohim of the Heathen swore Vengeance for Sin! Then thou stood’stForth, O Elohim Jehovah, in the midst of the darkness of the oath all clothedIn thy covenant of the forgiveness of Sins. Death, O Holy! is this Brotherhood?The Elohim saw their oath eternal fire; they rolled apart trembling over theMercy-Seat, each in his station fixed in the firmament, by Peace, Brotherhood, and Love.The Curtain falls.(1822. W. Blake’s original stereotype was 1788.)
THE GHOST OF ABEL.
A REVELATION IN THE VISIONS OF JEHOVAH.
Seen by William Blake.
SCENE.—A rocky Country.Evefainted over the dead body ofAbelwhich lays near a grave.Adamkneels by her.Jehovahstands above.
Jehovah.Adam!Adam.It is in vain: I will not hear thee more, thou Spiritual Voice.Is this Death?Jehovah.Adam!Adam.It is in vain; I will not hear theeHenceforth. Is this thy Promise that the Woman’s SeedShould bruise the Serpent’s Head? Is this the Serpent? Ah!Seven times, O Eve, thou hast fainted over the Dead. Ah! Ah!(Everevives.)Eve.Is this the Promise of Jehovah? O it is all a vain delusion,This Death and this Life and this Jehovah.Jehovah.Woman, lift thine eyes.(A Voiceis heard coming on.)Voice.O Earth, cover not thou my blood! cover not thou my blood!(Enter theGhostofAbel.)Eve.Thou visionary Phantasm, thou art not the real Abel.Abel.Among the Elohim a Human Victim I wander: I am their House,Prince of the Air, and our dimensions compass Zenith and Nadir.Vain is thy Covenant, O Jehovah: I am the Accuser and AvengerOf Blood; O Earth, cover not thou the blood of Abel.Jehovah.What vengeance dost thou require?Abel.Life for Life! Life for Life!Jehovah.He who shall take Cain’s life must also die, O Abel;And who is he? Adam, wilt thou, or Eve, thou, do this?Adam.It is all a vain delusion of the all-creative Imagination.Eve, come away, and let us not believe these vain delusions.Abel is dead, and Cain slew him; We shall also die a deathAnd then—what then? be as poor Abel, a Thought; or asThis? O what shall I call thee, Form Divine, Father of Mercies,That appearest to my Spiritual Vision? Eve, seest thou also?Eve.I see him plainly with my mind’s eye: I see also Abel living;Tho’ terribly afflicted, as we also are: yet Jehovah sees himAlive and not dead; were it not better to believe VisionWith all our might and strength, tho’ we are fallen and lost?Adam.Eve, thou hast spoken truly; let us kneel before his feet.(They kneel beforeJehovah.)Abel.Are these the sacrifices of Eternity, O Jehovah? a broken spiritAnd a contrite heart? O, I cannot forgive; the Accuser hathEntered into me as into his house, and I loathe thy Tabernacles.As thou hast said so is it come to pass: My desire is unto CainAnd he doth rule over me: therefore my soul in fumes of bloodCries for vengeance: Sacrifice on Sacrifice, Blood on Blood.Jehovah.Lo, I have given you a Lamb for an Atonement insteadOf the Transgressor, or no Flesh or Spirit could ever live.Abel.Compelled I cry, O Earth, cover not the blood of Abel.(Abelsinks down into the grave, from which arisesSatanarmed inglittering scales with a crown and a spear.)Satan.I will have human blood and not the blood of bulls or goats,And no Atonement, O Jehovah; the Elohim live on SacrificeOf men: hence I am God of men; thou human, O Jehovah.By the rock and oak of the Druid, creeping mistletoe and thorn,Cain’s city built with human blood, not blood of bulls and goats,Thou shalt thyself be sacrificed to me thy God on Calvary.Jehovah.Such is my will—(Thunders)—that thou thyself go to Eternal DeathIn self-annihilation, even till Satan self-subdued put off SatanInto the bottomless abyss whose torment arises for ever and ever.(On each side a Chorus of Angels entering sing the following.)The Elohim of the Heathen swore Vengeance for Sin! Then thou stood’stForth, O Elohim Jehovah, in the midst of the darkness of the oath all clothedIn thy covenant of the forgiveness of Sins. Death, O Holy! is this Brotherhood?The Elohim saw their oath eternal fire; they rolled apart trembling over theMercy-Seat, each in his station fixed in the firmament, by Peace, Brotherhood, and Love.The Curtain falls.
(1822. W. Blake’s original stereotype was 1788.)
On the skirt of a figure, rapid and “vehemently sweeping,” engraved underneath (recalling that vision of Dion made memorable by one of Wordsworth’s nobler poems) are inscribed these words—“The Voice of Abel’s Blood.” The fierce and strenuous flight of this figure is as the motion of one “whose feet are swift to shed blood,” and the dim face is full of hunger and sorrowful lust after revenge. The decorations are slight but not ineffective; wrought merely in black and white. This small prose lyric has a value beyond the value of its occasional beauty and force of form; it is a brief comprehensible expression of Blake’s faith seen from its two leading sides; belief in vision and belief in mercy. Into the singular mood of mind which made him inscribe it to the least imaginative of all serious poets we need by no means strive to enter; but in the trustful admiration andthe loyal goodwill which this quaint inscription seems to imply, there must be something not merely laughable: as, however rough and homespun the veil of eccentric speech may seem to us at first, we soon find it interwoven with threads of such fair and fervent colour as make the stuff of splendid verse; so, beyond all apparent aberrations of relaxed thought which offend us at each turn, a purpose not ignoble and a sense not valueless become manifest to those who will see them.
Here then the scroll of prophecy is finally wound up; and those who have cared to unroll and decipher it by such light as we can attain or afford may now look back across the tempest and tumult, and pass sentence, according to their pleasure or capacity, on the message delivered from this cloudy and noisy tabernacle. The complete and exalted figure of Blake cannot be seen in full by those who avert their eyes, smarting and blinking, from the frequent smoke and sudden flame. Others will see more clearly, as they look more sharply, the radical sanity and coherence of the mind which put forth its shoots of thought and faith in ways so strange, at such strange times. Faith incredible and love invisible to most men were alone the springs of this turbid and sonorous stream. In Blake, above all other men, the moral and the imaginative senses were so fused together as to compose the final artistic form. No man’s fancy, in that age, flew so far and so high on so sure a wing. No man’s mind, in that generation, dived so deep or gazed so long after the chance of human redemption. To serve art and to love liberty seemed to him the two things (if indeed they were not one thing) worth a man’s lifeand work; and no servant was ever trustier, no lover more constant than he. Knowing that without liberty there can be no loyalty, he did not fear, whether in his work or his life, to challenge and to deride the misconstruction of the foolish and the fraudulent. It does not appear that he was ever at the pains to refute any senseless and rootless lie that may have floated up during his life on the muddy waters of rumour, or drifted from hand to hand and mouth to mouth along the putrescent weed-beds of tradition. Many such lies, I am told, were then set afloat, and have not all as yet gone down. One at least of these may here be swept once for all out of our way. Mr. Linnell, the truest friend of Blake’s age and genius, has assured me—and has expressed a wish that I should make public his assurance—that the legend of Blake and his wife, sitting as Adam and Eve in their garden, is simply a legend—to those who knew them, repulsive and absurd; based probably, if on any foundation at all, on some rough and rapid expression of Blake’s in the heat and flush of friendly talk, to the effect (it may be) that such a thing, if one chose to do it, would be in itself innocent and righteous,—wrong or strange only in the eyes of a world whose views and whose deeds were strange and wrong. So far Blake would probably have gone; and so far his commentators need not fear to go. But one thing does certainly seem to me loathsome and condemnable; the imputation of such a charge as has been brought against Blake on this matter, without ground and without excuse. The oral flux of fools, being as it is a tertian or quotidian malady or ague of the tongue among their kind, maydeserve pity or may not, but does assuredly demand rigid medical treatment. The words or thoughts of a free thinker and a free speaker, falling upon rather than into the ear of a servile and supine fool, will probably in all times bring forth such fruit as this. By way of solace or compensation for the folly which he half perceives and half admits, the fool must be allowed his little jest and his little lie. Only when it passes into tradition and threatens to endure, is it worth while to set foot on it. It seems that Blake never cared to do this good office for himself; and in effect it can only seem worth doing on rare occasions to any workman who respects his work. This contempt, in itself noble and rational, became injurious when applied to the direct service of things in hand. Confidence in future friends, and contempt of present foes, may have induced him to leave his highest achievements impalpable and obscure. Their scope is as wide and as high as heaven, but not as clear; clouds involve and rains inundate the fitful and stormy space of air through which he spreads and plies an indefatigable wing. There can be few books in the world like these; I can remember one poet only whose work seems to me the same or similar in kind; a poet as vast in aim, as daring in detail, as unlike others, as coherent to himself, as strange without and as sane within. The points of contact and sides of likeness between William Blake and Walt Whitman are so many and so grave, as to afford some ground of reason to those who preach the transition of souls or transfusion of spirits. The great American is not a more passionate preacher of sexual or political freedom than the English artist. Toeach the imperishable form of a possible and universal Republic is equally requisite and adorable as the temporal and spiritual queen of ages as of men. To each all sides and shapes of life are alike acceptable or endurable. From the fresh free ground of either workman nothing is excluded that is not exclusive. The words of either strike deep and run wide and soar high. They are both full of faith and passion, competent to love and to loathe, capable of contempt and of worship. Both are spiritual, and both democratic; both by their works recall, even to so untaught and tentative a student as I am, the fragments vouchsafed to us of the Pantheistic poetry of the East. Their casual audacities of expression or speculation are in effect wellnigh identical. Their outlooks and theories are evidently the same on all points of intellectual and social life. The divine devotion and selfless love which make men martyrs and prophets are alike visible and palpable in each. It is no secret now, but a matter of public knowledge, that both these men, being poor in the sight and the sense of the world, have given what they had of time or of money, of labour or of love, to comfort and support all the suffering and sick, all the afflicted and misused, whom they had the chance or the right to succour and to serve. The noble and gentle labours of the one are known to those who live in his time; the similar deeds of the other deserve and demand a late recognition. No man so poor and so obscure as Blake appeared in the eyes of his generation ever did more good works in a more noble and simple spirit. It seems that in each of these men at their birth pity and passion, and relief and redress of wrong, became incarnateand innate. That may well be said of the one which was said of the other: that “he looks like a man.” And in externals and details the work of these two constantly and inevitably coheres and coincides. A sound as of a sweeping wind; a prospect as over dawning continents at the fiery instant of a sudden sunrise; a splendour now of stars and now of storms; an expanse and exultation of wing across strange spaces of air and above shoreless stretches of sea; a resolute and reflective love of liberty in all times and in all things where it should be; a depth of sympathy and a height of scorn which complete and explain each other, as tender and as bitter as Dante’s; a power, intense and infallible, of pictorial concentration and absorption, most rare when combined with the sense and the enjoyment of the widest and the highest things; an exquisite and lyrical excellence of form when the subject is well in keeping with the poet’s tone of spirit; a strength and security of touch in small sweet sketches of colour and outline, which bring before the eyes of their student a clear glimpse of the thing designed—some little inlet of sky lighted by moon or star, some dim reach of windy water or gentle growth of meadow-land or wood; these are qualities common to the work of either. Had we place or time or wish to touch on their shortcomings and errors, it might be shown that these too are nearly akin; that their poetry has at once the melody and the laxity of a fitful storm-wind; that, being oceanic, it is troubled with violent groundswells and sudden perils of ebb and reflux, of shoal and reef, perplexing to the swimmer or the sailor; in a word, that it partakes the powers and the faults ofelemental and eternal things; that it is at times noisy and barren and loose, rootless and fruitless and informal; and is in the main fruitful and delightful and noble, a necessary part of the divine mechanism of things. Any work or art of which this cannot be said is superfluous and perishable, whatever of grace or charm it may possess or assume. Whitman has seldom struck a note of thought and speech so just and so profound as Blake has now and then touched upon; but his work is generally more frank and fresh, smelling of sweeter air, and readier to expound or expose its message, than this of the prophetic books. Nor is there among these any poem or passage of equal length so faultless and so noble as his “Voice out of the Sea,” or as his dirge over President Lincoln—the most sweet and sonorous nocturn ever chanted in the church of the world. But in breadth of outline and charm of colour, these poems recall the work of Blake; and to neither poet can a higher tribute of honest praise be paid than this.
We have now done what in us lay to help the works of a great man on their way towards that due appreciation and that high honour of which in the end they will not fail. Much, it need not be repeated, has been done for them of late, and admirably done; much also we have found to do, and have been compelled to leave undone still more. If it should now appear to any reader that too much has been made of slight things, or too little said of grave errors, this must be taken well into account: that praise enough has not as yet been given, and blame enough can always be had for the asking; that when full honour has been done and full thanksrendered to those who have done great things, then and then only will it be no longer an untimely and unseemly labour to map out and mark down their shortcomings for the profit or the pleasure of their inferiors and our own; that however pleasant for common palates and feeble fingers it may be to nibble and pick holes, it is not only more profitable but should be more delightful for all who desire or who strive after any excellence of mind or of achievement to do homage wherever it may be due; to let nothing great pass unsaluted or unenjoyed; but as often as we look backwards among past days and dead generations, with glad and ready reverence to answer the noble summons—“Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers who were before us.” Those who refuse them that are none of their sons; and among all these “famous men, and our fathers,” no names seem to demand our praise so loudly as theirs who while alive had to dispense with the thanksgiving of men. To them doubtless, it may be said, this is now more than ever indifferent; but to us it had better not be so. And especially in the works and in the life of Blake there is so strong and special a charm for those to whom the higher ways of work are not sealed ways that none will fear to be too grudging of blame or too liberal of praise. A more noble memory is hardly left us; and it is not for his sake that we should contend to do him honour.
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Doré, 8s. 6d.Puniana; or, Thoughts Wise and Otherwise.Best Book of Riddles and Puns ever formed. With nearly 100 exquisitely fanciful drawings. Contains nearly 3,000 of the best Riddles and 10,000 most outrageous Puns, and it is believed will prove to be one of the most popular books ever issued.Why did Du Chaillu get so angry when he was chaffed about the Gorilla? Why? we ask.Why is a chrysalis like a hot roll? You will doubtless remark, “Because it’s the grub that makes the butter fly!” But see “Puniana.”Why is a wide-awake hat so called? Because it never had a nap, and never wants one.————————A REPRODUCTION IN EXACT FACSIMILE, LETTER FOR LETTER, OF THE EXCESSIVELY RARE ORIGINAL OF SHAKESPEARE’S FAMOUS PLAY,Much Adoe about Nothing.As it hath been sundrie times publikely acted by the Right Honourable the Lord Chamberlaine his seruants. Written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, 1600.⁂Small quarto, on fine toned paper, half bound morocco, Roxburghe style, 4s. 6d. (Original price 10s. 6d.)————————Immediately, in Crown 4to., exquisitely printed, £3. 10s.Saint Ursula, and the Story of the 11,000 Virgins,now newly told by THOMAS WRIGHT, F.S.A. With Twenty-five Full-page 4to. Illuminated Miniatures from the Pictures of Cologne.⁂The finest book-paintings of the kind ever published. The artist has just obtained the gold prize at the Paris Exposition.————————New Edition, with large Additions, 15th Thousand, Crown 8vo., cloth, 6s. 6d.Slang Dictionary.With Further Particulars of Beggars’ Marks.⁂“Beggars’ Marks upon House Corners.—On our doorways, and on our house corners and gate-posts, curious chalk marks may occasionally be observed, which, although meaningless to us, are full of suggestion to tramps, beggars, and pedlars. Mr. Hotten intends giving, in the new edition of his ‘Slang Dictionary’—the fourth—some extra illustrations descriptive of this curious and, it is believed, ancient method of communicating the charitable or ill-natured intentions of house occupants; and he would be obliged by the receipt, at 74, Piccadilly, London, of any facts which might assist his inquiry.”—Notes and Queries.————————UNIFORM WITH ESSAYS WRITTEN IN THE “INTERVALS OF BUSINESS.”This day, a Choice Book, on toned paper, 6s.The Collector.Essays on Books, Authors, Newspapers, Pictures, Inns, Doctors, Holidays, &c. Introduction by Dr. DORAN.⁂A charming volume of delightful Essays, with exquisitely-engraved Vignette of an Old-Book Collector busily engaged at his favourite pursuit of book-hunting. The work is a companion volume to Disraeli’s “Curiosities of Literature,” and to the more recently published “Book-Hunter,” by Mr. John Hill Burton.————————“A PERFECT MARVEL OF CHEAPNESS.”Five of Scott’s Novels, complete, for 3s., well bound.Waverley Novels.“Toned Paper.” Five Choice NovelsComplete for3s., cloth extra, 850 pp. This very handsome Volume contains unmutilated and Author’s Editions ofIvanhoe, Old Mortality, Fortunes of Nigel, Guy Mannering, Bride of Lammermoor.Also,FIRST SERIES, Fifth Thousand, containingWaverley, The Monastery, Rob Roy, Kenilworth, The Pirate. All complete in 1 vol., cloth neat, 3s.————————A GUIDE TO READING OLD MANUSCRIPTS, RECORDS, &c.Wright’s Court Hand Restored;or, Student’s Assistant in Reading Old Deeds, Charters, Records, &c. Half-morocco, 10s. 6d.⁂A New Edition, corrected, of an invaluable Work to all who have occasion to consult old MSS., Deeds, Charters, &c. It contains a Series of Facsimiles of old MSS. from the time of the Conqueror, Tables of Contractions and Abbreviations, Ancient Surnames, &c.————————OLD ENGLISH RELIGIOUS BALLADS AND CAROLS.This day, in small 4to., with very beautiful floriated borders, in the Renaissance style.Songs of the Nativity.An entirely New Collection of Old Carols, including some never before given in any collection. With Music to the more popular. Edited by W. H. HUSK, Librarian to the Sacred Harmonic Society. In charmingly appropriate cloth, gilt, and admirably adapted for binding in antique calf or morocco, 12s. 6d.⁂A volume which will not be without peculiar interest to lovers ofAncient English Poetry, and to admirers of ourNational Sacred Music. The work forms a handsome square 8vo., and has been printed with beautiful floriated borders by Whittingham & Wilkins. The Carols embrace the joyous and festive songs of the olden time, as well as those sacred melodies which have maintained their popularity from a period long before the Reformation.————————“DOES FOR WINCHESTER WHAT ‘TOM BROWN’ DID FOR RUGBY.”This day, Crown 8vo., handsomely printed, 7s. 6d.,School Life at Winchester; or, the Reminiscences of a Winchester Junior.By the Author of the “Log of the Water Lily.” With numerous illustrations, exquisitely coloured after the original drawings.————————ANGLICAN CHURCH ORNAMENTS.This day, thick 8vo., with illustrations, price 15s.English Church Furniture, Ornaments, and Decorations, at the Period of the Reformation.Edited by ED. PEACOCK, F.S.A.“Very curious as showing what articles of church furniture were in those days considered to be idolatrous or unnecessary. The work, of which only a limited number has been printed, is of the highest interest to those who take part in the present Ritual discussion.”—See Reviews in the Religious Journals.————————NEW BOOK BY THE “ENGLISH GUSTAVE DORÉ.”—COMPANION TO THE “HATCHET-THROWERS.”This day, 4to., Illustrations, coloured, 7s. 6d.; plain, 5s.Legends of Savage Life.By James Greenwood, the famous Author of “A Night in a Workhouse.” With 36 inimitably droll Illustrations drawn and coloured byErnest Griset, the “English Gustave Doré.”⁂Readers who found amusement in the “Hatchet-Throwers” will not regret any acquaintance they may form with this comical work. The pictures are among the most surprising which have come from this artist’s pencil.————————COMPANION VOLUME TO “LEECH’S PICTURES.”This day, oblong 4to., a handsome volume, half morocco, price 12s.Seymour’s Sketches.The Book of Cockney Sports, Whims, and Oddities. Nearly 200 highly amusing Illustrations.⁂A reissue of the famous pictorial comicalities which were so popular thirty years ago. The volume is admirably adapted for a table-book, and the pictures will doubtless again meet with that popularity which was extended towards them when the artist projected with Mr. Dickens the famous “Pickwick Papers.”————————MR. SWINBURNE’S NEW WORK.This day, in Demy 8vo., pp. 350, price 16s.William Blake; Artist and Poet.A Critical Essay. By ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE.⁂The coloured illustrations to this book have all been prepared, by a careful hand, from the original drawings painted by Blake and his wife, and are very different from ordinary book illustrations.————————RECENT POETRY.——MR. SWINBURNE’S NEW POEM.This day, fcap. 8vo. toned paper, cloth, 3s. 6d.A Song of Italy.By Algernon Charles Swinburne.⁂TheAthenæumremarks of this poem:—“Seldom has such a chant been heard, so full of glow, strength, and colour.”————————Mr. Swinburne’s “Poems and Ballads.”NOTICE.—The Publisher begs to inform the very many persons who have inquired after this remarkable Work that copies may now be obtained at all Booksellers, price 9s.————————Mr. Swinburne’s Noteson his Poems and on the Reviews which have appeared upon them, is now ready, price 1s.————————Also New and Revised Editions.Atalanta in Calydon.By Algernon Charles Swinburne. 6s.————————Chastelard: a Tragedy.By A. C. Swinburne. 7s.————————Rossetti’s Criticism on Swinburne’s “Poems.”3s. 6d.————————UNIFORM WITH MR. SWINBURNE’S POEMS.In fcap. 8vo., price 5s.Walt Whitman’s Poems. (Leaves of Grass, Drum-taps, &c.)Selected and Edited by WILLIAM MICHAEL ROSSETTI.⁂For twelve years the American poet Whitman has been the object of widespread detraction and of concentrated admiration. The admiration continues to gain ground, as evidenced of late by papers in the AmericanRound Table, in theLondon Review, in theFortnightly Reviewby Mr. M. D. Conway, in theBroadwayby Mr. Robert Buchanan, and in theChronicleby the editor of the selection announced above, as also by the recent publication of Whitman’s last poem, from advance sheets, inTinsleys’ Magazine.————————In preparation, small 4to. elegant.Carols of Cockayne.By Henry S. Leigh. [Vers de Société and humorous pieces descriptive of London life.] With numerous requisite little designs, byAlfred Concannen.————————Now ready, price 3s. 6d.The Prometheus Bound of Æschylus.Translated in the Original Metres. ByC. B. Cayley, B.A.————————Now ready, 4to. 10s. 6d., on toned paper, very elegant.Bianca: Poems and Ballads.By Edward Brennan.————————Now ready, cloth, price 5s.Poems from the Greek Mythology: and Miscellaneous Poems.ByEdmund Ollier.————————In crown 8vo. toned paper.Poems.By P. F. Roe.————————In crown 8vo. handsomely printed.The Idolatress, and other Poems.By Dr. Wills, Author of “Dramatic Scenes,” “The Disembodied,” and of various Poetical contributions toBlackwood’s Magazine.————————HOTTEN’S AUTHORIZED ONLY COMPLETE EDITIONS.This day, on toned paper, price 6d.; by post, 7d.Hotten’s New Book of Humour.“Artemus Ward Among the Fenians.”————————This day, 4th edition, on tinted paper, bound in cloth, neat, price 3s. 6d.; by post, 3s. 10d.Hotten’s “Artemus Ward: His Book.”The Author’s Enlarged Edition; containing, in addition to the following edition, two extra chapters, entitled “The Draft in Baldinsville, with Mr. Ward’s Private Opinion concerning Old Bachelors,” and “Mr. W.’s Visit to a Graffick” (Soirée).⁂“We never, not even in the pages of our best humorists, read anything so laughable and so shrewd as we have seen in this book by the mirthful Artemus.”—Public Opinion.————————New edition, this day, price 1s.; by post, 1s. 2d.Hotten’s “Artemus Ward: His Book.” A Cheap Edition,without extra chapters, with portrait of author on paper cover, 1s.⁂Notice.—Mr. Hotten’s Edition is the only one published in this country with the sanction of the author. Every copy contains A. Ward’s signature. TheSaturday Reviewof October 21st says of Mr. Hotten’s edition: “The author combines the powers of Thackeray with those of Albert Smith. The salt is rubbed in by a native hand—one which has the gift of tickling.”————————This day, crown 8vo., toned paper, cloth, price 3s. 6d.; by post, 3s. 10d.Hotten’s “Artemus Ward: His Travels Among the Mormons and on the Rampage.”Edited by E. P. HINGSTON, the Agent and Companion of A. Ward whilst “on the Rampage.”⁂Notice.—Readers of Artemus Ward’s droll books are informed that an Illustrated Edition of His Travels is now ready, containing numerous Comic Pictures, representing the different scenes and events in Artemus Ward’s Adventures.————————This day, cheap edition, in neat wrapper, price 1s.Hotten’s “Artemus Ward: His Travels Among the Mormons.” The New Shilling Edition,with Ticket of Admission to Mormon Lecture.————————THE CHOICEST HUMOROUS POETRY OF THE AGE.Hotten’s “Biglow Papers.”By James Russell Lowell. Price 1s.⁂This Edition has been edited, with additional Notes explanatory of the persons and subjects mentioned therein, and is the only complete and correct edition published in this country.“The celebrated ‘Biglow Papers.’”—Times.————————Biglow Papers. Another Edition,with Coloured Plates byGeorge Cruikshank, bound in cloth, neat, price 3s. 6d.————————Handsomely printed, square 12mo.,Advice to Parties About to Marry.A Series of Instructions in Jest and Earnest. By the Hon. HUGH ROWLEY, and illustrated with numerous comic designs from his pencil.————————AN EXTRAORDINARY BOOK.Beautifully printed, thick 8vo., new, half morocco, Roxburghe, 12s. 6d.Hotten’s Edition of “Contes Drolatiques”(Droll Tales collected from the Abbeys of Loraine). Par BALZAC. With Four Hundred and Twenty-five Marvellous, Extravagant, and Fantastic Woodcuts byGustave Doré.⁂The most singular designs ever attempted by any artist. This book is a fund of amusement. So crammed is it with pictures that even the contents are adorned with thirty-three illustrations.Direct application must be made to Mr. Hotten for this work.————————THE ORIGINAL EDITION OF JOE MILLER’S JESTS. 1739. Price 9s. 6d.Joe Miller’s Jests: or, the Wit’s Vade-Mecum;a Collection of the most brilliant Jests, politest Repartees, most elegant Bons Mots, and most pleasant short Stories in the English Language. An interesting specimen of remarkable facsimile, 8vo., half morocco, price 9s. 6d. London: printed by T. Read, 1739.Only a very few copies of this humorous book have been reproduced.————————This day, handsomely printed on toned paper, price 3s. 6d.; cheap edition, 1s.Hotten’s “Josh Billings: His Book of Sayings;”with Introduction by E. P. HINGSTON, companion of Artemus Ward when on his “Travels.”⁂For many years past the sayings and comicalities of “Josh Billings” have been quoted in our newspapers. His humour is of a quieter kind, more aphoristically comic, than the fun and drollery of the “delicious Artemus,” as Charles Reade styles the Showman. If Artemus Ward may be called the comic story-teller of his time, “Josh” can certainly be dubbed the comic essayist of his day. Although promised some time ago, Mr. Billings’ “Book” has only just appeared, but it contains all his best and most mirth-provoking articles.————————This day, in three vols., crown 8vo., cloth, neat.Orpheus C. Kerr Papers.The Original American Edition, in Three Series, complete. Three vols., 8vo., cloth; sells at £1. 2s. 6d., now specially offered at 15s.⁂A most mirth-provoking work. It was first introduced into this country by the English officers who were quartered during the late war on the Canadian frontier. They found it one of the drollest pieces of composition they had ever met with, and so brought copies over for the delectation of their friends.————————Orpheus C. Kerr [Office Seeker] Papers.First Series, Edited by E. P. HINGSTON. Price 1s.————————THACKERAY AND GEORGE CRUIKSHANK.In small 8vo., cloth, very neat, price 4s. 6d.Thackeray’s Humour.Illustrated by the Pencil of George Cruikshank. Twenty-four Humorous Designs executed by this inimitable artist in the year 1839-40, as illustrations to “The Fatal Boots” and “The Diary of Barber Cox,” with letterpress descriptions suggested by the late Mr. Thackeray.————————THE ENGLISH GUSTAVE DORÉ.This day, in 4to., handsomely printed, cloth gilt, price 7s. 6d.; with plates uncoloured, 5s.The Hatchet-Throwers;with Thirty-six Illustrations, coloured after the Inimitably Grotesque Drawings ofErnest Griset.⁂Comprises the astonishing adventures of Three Ancient Mariners, the Brothers Brass of Bristol, Mr. Corker, and Mungo Midge.“A Munchausen sort of book. The drawings by M. Griset are very powerful and eccentric.”—Saturday Review.————————This day, in Crown 8vo., uniform with “Biglow Papers,” price 3s. 6d.Wit and Humour.By the “Autocrat of the Breakfast Table.” A volume of delightfully humorous Poems, very similar to the mirthful verses of Tom Hood. Readers will not be disappointed with this work.————————Cheap edition, handsomely printed, price 1s.Vere Vereker: a Comic Story,by Thomas Hood, with Punning Illustrations. ByWilliam Brunton.⁂One of the most amusing volumes which have been published for a long time. For a piece of broad humour, of the highly-sensational kind, it is perhaps the best piece of literary fun by Tom Hood.————————Immediately, at all the Libraries.Cent. per Cent.: a Story written upon a Bill Stamp.By BLANCHARD JERROLD. With numerous coloured illustrations in the style of the late Mr. Leech’s charming designs.⁂A Story of “The Vampires of London,” as they were pithily termed in a recent notorious case, and one of undoubted interest.————————AN ENTIRELY NEW BOOK OF DELIGHTFUL FAIRY TALES.Now ready, square 12mo., handsomely printed on toned paper, in cloth, green and gold, price 4s. 6d. plain, 5s. 6d. coloured (by post 6d. extra).Family Fairy Tales: or, Glimpses of Elfland at Heatherston Hall.Edited by CHOLMONDELEY PENNELL, Author of “Puck on Pegasus,” &c., adorned with beautiful pictures of “My Lord Lion,” “King Uggermugger,” and other great folks.⁂This charming volume of Original Tales has been universally praised by the critical press.————————Pansie: a Child Story,the Last Literary Effort of Nathaniel Hawthorne. 12mo., price 6d.————————Rip Van Winkle: and the “Story of Sleepy Hollow.”By WASHINGTON IRVING. Foolscap 8vo., very neatly printed on toned paper, illustrated cover, 6d.————————Anecdotes of the Green Room and Stage; or, Leaves from an Actor’s Note-Book, at Home and Abroad.By GEORGE VANDENHOFF. Post 8vo., pp. 336, price 2s.⁂Includes original anecdotes of the Keans (father and son), the two Kembles, Macready, Cooke, Liston, Farren, Elliston, Braham and his Sons, Phelps, Buckstone, Webster, Charles Matthews, Siddons, Vestris, Helen Faucit, Mrs. Nisbet, Miss Cushman, Miss O’Neil, Mrs. Glover, Mrs. Charles Kean, Rachel, Ristori, and many other dramatic celebrities.————————Berjean’s (P. C.) Book of Dogs:the Varieties of Dogs as they are found in Old Sculptures, Pictures, Engravings, and Books. 1865. Half-morocco, the sides richly lettered with gold, 7s. 6d.⁂In this very interesting volume are 52 plates, facsimiled from rare old Engravings, Paintings, Sculptures, &c., in which may be traced over 100 varieties of dogs known to the ancients.————————This day, elegantly printed, pp. 96, wrapper 1s., cloth 2s., post free.Carlyle on the Choice of Books.The Inaugural Address of THOMAS CARLYLE, with Memoir, Anecdotes, Two Portraits, and View of his House in Chelsea. The “Address” is reprinted fromThe Times, carefully compared with twelve other reports, and is believed to be the most accurate yet printed.⁂The leader in theDaily Telegraph, April 25th, largely quotes from the above “Memoir.”————————In Fcap. 8vo., cloth, price 3s. 6d. beautifully printed.Gog and Magog; or, the History of the Guildhall Giants.With some Account of the Giants which guard English and Continental Cities. By F. W. FAIRHOLT, F.S.A. With Illustrations on Wood by the author, coloured and plain.⁂The critiques which have appeared upon this amusing little work have been uniformly favourable. TheArt Journalsays, in a long article, that it thoroughly explains who these old giants were, the position they occupied in popular mythology, the origin of their names, and a score of other matters, all of much interest in throwing a light upon fabulous portions of our history.————————Now ready, handsomely printed, price 1s. 6d.Hints on Hats; adapted to the Heads of the People.By HENRY MELTON, of Regent Street. With curious woodcuts of the various style of Hats worn at different periods.⁂Anecdotes of eminent and fashionable personages are given, and a fund of interesting information relative to the History of Costume and change of tastes may be found scattered through its pages.————————This day, handsomely bound, pp. 550, price 7s. 6d.History of Playing Cards:with Anecdotes of their Use in Ancient and Modern Games, Conjuring, Fortune-Telling, and Card-sharping. With Sixty curious illustrations on toned paper. Skill and Sleight-of-Hand; Gambling and Calculation; Cartomancy and Cheating; Old Games and Gaming-Houses; Card Revels and Blind Hookey; Piquet and Vingt-et-un; Whist and Cribbage; Old-fashioned Tricks.“A highly-interesting volume.”—Morning Post.————————This day, in 2 vols., 8vo., very handsomely printed, price 16s.THE HOUSEHOLD STORIES OF ENGLAND.Popular Romances of the West of England; or, the Drolls of Old Cornwall.Collected and edited by ROBERT HUNT, F.R.S.For an analysis of this important work see printed description, which may be obtained gratis at the publisher’s.Many of the stories are remarkable for their wild poetic beauty; others surprise us by their quaintness; whilst others, again, show forth a tragic force which can only be associated with those rude ages which existed long before the period of authentic history.Mr. George Cruikshank has supplied two wonderful pictures as illustrations to the work. One is a portrait of Giant Bolster, a personage twelve miles high.————————Pp. 336, handsomely printed, cloth extra, price 3s. 6d.Holidays with Hobgoblins; or, Talk of Strange Things.By DUDLEY COSTELLO. With humorous engravings byGeorge Cruikshank. Amongst the chapters may be enumerated: Shaving a Ghost; Superstitions and Traditions; Monsters; the Ghost of Pit Pond; the Watcher of the Dead; the Haunted House near Hampstead; Dragons, Griffins, and Salamanders; Alchemy and Gunpowder; Mother Shipton; Bird History; Witchcraft and Old Boguey; Crabs; Lobsters; the Apparition of Monsieur Bodry.————————SUPPLEMENTARY VOLUME TO HONE’S WORKS.In preparation, thick 8vo., uniform with “Year-Book,” pp. 800.Hone’s Scrap Book.A Supplementary Volume to the “Every-Day Book,” the “Year-Book,” and the “Table-Book.” From the MSS. of the late WILLIAM HONE, with upwards of One Hundred and Fifty engravings of curious or eccentric objects.————————BARNUM’S NEW BOOK.Humbugs of the World.By P. T. Barnum. Pp. 320. crown 8vo., cloth extra, 4s. 6d.“A most vivacious book, and a very readable one.”—Globe.“The history of Old Adams and his grisly bears is inimitable.”—Athenæum.“A History of Humbugs by the Prince of Humbugs! What book can be more promising?”—Saturday Review.————————A KEEPSAKE FOR SMOKERS.This day, 48mo., beautifully printed from silver-faced type, cloth, very neat, gilt edges, price 2s. 6d.Smoker’s Text Book.By J. Hamer, F.R.S.L. This exquisite little volume comprises the most important passages from the works of eminent men written in favour of the much-abused weed. Its compilation was suggested by a remark made by Sir Bulwer Lytton:—“A pipe is a great comforter, a pleasant soother. The man who smokes thinks like a sage and acts like a Samaritan.”⁂A few copies have been choicely bound in calf antique and morocco, price 10s. 6d. each.————————A NEW BOOK BY THE LATE MR. THACKERAY.The Student’s Quarter; or, Paris Life Five-and-Twenty Years Since.By the late WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY. With numerous coloured illustrations after designs made at the time.⁂For these interesting sketches of French literature and art, made immediately after the Revolution of 1830, the reading world is indebted to a gentleman in Paris, who has carefully preserved the original papers up to the present time.————————Thackeray: the Humorist and the Man of Letters.The Story of his Life and Literary Labours. With some particulars of his Early Career never before made public. By THEODORE TAYLOR, Esq., Membre de la Société des gens de Lettres. Price 7s. 6d.⁂Illustrated with Photographic Portrait (one of the most characteristic known to have been taken) by Ernest Edwards, B.A.; view of Mr. Thackeray’s House, built after a favourite design of the great novelist’s; facsimile of his Handwriting, long noted in London literary circles for its exquisite neatness; and a curious life sketch of his Coat of Arms, a pen and pencil humorously introduced as the crest, the motto, “Nobilitas est sola virtus” (Virtue is the sole nobility).————————This day, neatly printed, price 1s. 6d.; by post 1s. 8d.Mental Exertion: its Influence on Health.By Dr. BRIGHAM. Edited, with additional Notes, by Dr. ARTHUR LEARED, Physician to the Great Northern Hospital. This is a highly important little book, showing how far we may educate the mind without injuring the body.⁂The recent untimely deaths of Admiral Fitzroy and Mr. Prescott, whose minds gave way under excessive mental exertion, fully illustrate the importance of the subject.————————EVERY HOUSEKEEPER SHOULD POSSESS A COPY.Now ready, in cloth, price 2s. 6d.; by post 2s. 8d.The Housekeeper’s Assistant;a Collection of the most valuable Recipes, carefully written down for future use, by Mrs. B—— during her forty years’ active service.As much as two guineas has been paid for a copy of this invaluable little work.————————How to See Scotland;or, a Fortnight in the Highlands for £6.A plain and practical guide.—Price 1s.————————Now ready, 8vo., price 1s.List of British Plants.Compiled and Arranged by Alex More, F.L.S.⁂This comparativeList of British Plantswas drawn up for the use of the country botanist, to show the differences in opinion which exist between different authors as to the number of species which ought to be reckoned within the compass of thefloraof Great Britain.————————Now ready, price 2s. 6d.; by post 2s. 10d.Dictionary of the Oldest Words in the English Language,from the Semi-Saxon Period ofA.D.1250 to 1300; consisting of an Alphabetical Inventory of Every Word found in the Printed English Literature of the 13th Century, by the late HERBERT COLERIDGE, Secretary to the Philological Society. 8vo., neat half morocco.⁂An invaluable work to historical students and those interested in linguistic pursuits.————————The School and College Slang of England;or, Glossaries of the Words and Phrases peculiar to the Six great Educational Establishments of the country.—Preparing.————————This day, in Crown 8vo., handsomely printed, price 7s. 6d.Glossary of all the Words, Phrases, and Customs peculiar to Winchester College.See “School Life at Winchester College,” recently published.————————Robson; a Sketch, by Augustus Sala.An Interesting Biography, with Sketches of his famous characters, “Jem Baggs,” “Boots at the Swan,” “The Yellow Dwarf,” “Daddy Hardacre,” &c. Price 6d.————————In preparation, Crown 8vo., handsomely printed.The Curiosities of Flagellation:an Anecdotal History of the Birch in Ancient and Modern Times: its Use as a Religious Stimulant, and as a Corrector of Morals in all Ages. With some quaint illustrations. By J. G. BERTRAND, Author of “The Harvest of the Sea,” &c.————————In 1 vol., with 300 Drawings from Nature, 2s. 6d. plain, 4s. 6d. coloured by hand.The Young Botanist: a Popular Guide to Elementary Botany.By T. S. RALPH, of the Linnæan Society.⁂An excellent book for the young beginner. The objects selected as illustrations are either easy of access as specimens of wild plants, or are common in gardens.————————Common Prayer.Illustrated by Holbein and Albert Durer. With Wood Engravings of the “Life of Christ,” rich woodcut border on every page of Fruit and Flowers; also the Dance of Death, a singularly curious series after Holbein, with Scriptural Quotations and Proverbs in the Margin. Square 8vo., cloth neat, exquisitely printed on tinted paper, price 8s. 6d.; in dark morocco, very plain and neat, with block in the Elizabethan style impressed on the sides, gilt edges, 16s. 6d.Apply direct for this exquisite volume.————————AN APPROPRIATE BOOK TO ILLUMINATE.⁂The attention of those who practise the beautiful art of Illuminating is requested to the following sumptuous volume:—The Presentation Book of Common Prayer.Illustrated with Elegant Ornamental Borders in red and black, from “Books of Hours” and Illuminated Missals, by GEOFFREY TORY. One of the most tasteful and beautiful books ever printed. May now be seen at all booksellers.Although the price is only a few shillings (7s. 6d. in plain cloth; 8s. 6d. antique do.; 14s. 6d. morocco extra), this edition is so prized by artists that, at the South Kensington and other important Art Schools, copies are kept for the use of students.————————Now ready, in 8vo., on tinted paper, nearly 350 pages, very neat, price 5s.Family History of the English Counties:Descriptive Account of Twenty Thousand most Curious and Rare Books, Old Tracts, Ancient Manuscripts, Engravings, and Privately-printed Family Papers, relating to the History of almost every Landed Estate and Old English Family in the Country; interspersed with nearly Two Thousand Original Anecdotes, Topographical and Antiquarian Notes. By JOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN.By far the largest collection of English and Welsh Topography and Family History ever formed. Each article has a small price affixed for the convenience of those who may desire to possess any book or tract that interests them.————————AN INTERESTING VOLUME TO ANTIQUARIES.Now ready, 4to., half morocco, handsomely printed, price 7s. 6d.Army Lists of the Roundheads and Cavaliers in the Civil War.⁂These most curious Lists show on which side the gentlemen of England were to be found during the great conflict between the King and the Parliament. Only a very few copies have been most carefully reprinted on paper that will gladden the heart of the lover of choice books.————————Folio, exquisitely printed on toned paper, with numerous Etchings, &c., price 28s.Millais Family,the Lineage and Pedigree of, recording its History from 1331 to 1865, byJ. B. Payne, with Illustrations from Designs by the Author.⁂Of this beautiful volume only sixty copies have been privately printed for presents to the several members of the family. The work is magnificently bound in blue and gold. These are believed to be the only etchings of an heraldic character ever designed and engraved by the distinguished artist of the name.Apply direct for this work.————————Now ready, 12mo., very choicely printed, price 6s. 6d.London Directory for 1677,the Earliest Known List of the London Merchants. See Review in theTimes, Jan. 22.⁂This curious little volume has been reprinted verbatim from one of the only two copies known to be in existence. It contains an Introduction pointing out some of the principal persons mentioned in the list. For historical and genealogical purposes the little book is of the greatest value. Herein will be found the originators of many of the great firms and co-partnerships which have prospered through two pregnant centuries, and which exist some of them in nearly the same names at this day. Its most distinctive feature is the early severance which it marks of “goldsmiths that keep running cashes,” precursors of the modern bankers, from the mass of the merchants of London.————————Now ready, price 5s.; by post, on roller, 5s. 4d.Magna Charta.An Exact Facsimile of the Original Document preserved in the British Museum, very carefully drawn, and printed on fine plate paper, nearly 3 feet long by 2 feet wide, with the Arms and Seals of the Barons elaborately emblazoned in gold and colours.A.D.1215.⁂Copied by express permission, and the only correct drawing of the Great Charter ever taken. Handsomely framed and glazed, in carved oak of an antique pattern, 22s. 6d. It is uniform with the “Roll of Battle Abbey.”A full translation, with Notes, has just been prepared, price 6d.————————NEW BOOK BY PROFESSOR RENAN’S ASSOCIATE.Exquisitely printed, 12mo., cloth, very neat, price 3s. 6d.Apollonius of Tyana: the Pagan or False Christ of the Third Century.An Essay. By ALBERT REVILLE, Pastor of the Walloon Church at Rotterdam. Authorized translation.⁂A most curious account of an attempt to revive Paganism in the third century by means of a false Christ. Strange to say, the principal events in the life of Apollonius are almost identical with the Gospel narrative. Apollonius was born in a mysterious way about the same time as Christ. After a period of preparation came a Passion, then a Resurrection, and an Ascension. In many other respects the parallel is equally extraordinary.————————In the press, 4to. Part I.The Celtic Tumuli of Dorsetshire:an Account of Personal and other Researches on the Sepulchral Mounds of the Durotiges; forming the First Part of a Description of the Primeval Antiquities of the County.————————In small 4to. handsomely printed, 1s. 6d.Esholt in Airedale, Yorkshire:the Cistercian Priory of St. Leonard, Account of, with View of Esholt Hall.————————ANECDOTES OF THE “LONG PARLIAMENT” OF 1645.Now ready, in 4to., half morocco, choicely printed, price 7s. 6d.The Mysteries of the Good Old Cause:Sarcastic Notices of those Members of the Long Parliament that held places, both Civil and Military, contrary to the Self-denying Ordinance of April 3, 1645; with the sums of money and lands they divided among themselves.⁂Gives many curious particulars about the famous Assembly not mentioned by historians or biographers. The history of almost every county in England receives some illustration from it. Genealogists and antiquaries will find in it much interesting matter.————————Now ready, in 4to., very handsomely printed, with curious woodcut initial letters, extra cloth, 18s.; or crimson morocco extra, the sides and back covered in rich fleur-de-lys, gold tooling, 55s.Roll of Carlaverlock,with the Arms of the Earls, Barons, and Knights who were present at the Siege of this Castle in Scotland, 26 Edward I.,A.D.1300; including the Original Anglo-Norman Poem, and an English Translation of the MS. in the British Museum; the whole newly edited by THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq., M.A., F.S.A.⁂A very handsome volume, and a delightful one to lovers of Heraldry, as it is the earliest blazon or arms known to exist.————————UNIFORM WITH “MAGNA CHARTA.”Roll of Battle Abbey;or, a List of the Principal Warriors who came over from Normandy with William the Conqueror and settled in this country,A.D.1066-7, from Authentic Documents, very carefully drawn, and printed on fine plate paper, nearly three feet long by two feet wide, with the Arms of the principal Barons elaborately emblazoned in gold and colours, price 5s.; by post, on roller, 5s. 4d.⁂A most curious document, and of the greatest interest, as the descendants of nearly all these Norman Conquerors are at this moment living amongst us. No names are believed to be in this “Battel Roll,” which are not fully entitled to the distinction.Handsomely framed and glazed, in carved oak of an antique pattern, price 22s. 6d.————————Warrant to Execute Charles I.An Exact Facsimile of this Important Document in the House of Lords, with the Fifty-nine Signatures of the Regicides, and Corresponding Seals, admirably executed on paper made to imitate the Original Document, 22 in. by 14 in. Price 2s.; by post, 2s. 4d. Handsomely framed and glazed, in carved oak of an antique pattern, 14s. 6d.————————Now ready.Warrant to Execute Mary Queen of Scots.The Exact Facsimile of this Important Document, including the Signature Queen Elizabeth and Facsimile of the Great Seal, on tinted paper, made to imitate the original MS. Safe on roller, 2s.; by post, 2s. 4d.Handsomely framed and glazed, in carved oak of an antique pattern, 14s. 6d.————————In 1 vol., 4to., on tinted paper, with 19 large and most curious Plates in facsimile, coloured by hand, including an ancient View of the City of Waterford.Illuminated Charter-Roll of Waterford, Temp. Richard II.Price to Subscribers, 20s.; Non-subscribers, 30s.⁂Of the very limited impression proposed, more than 150 copies have already been subscribed for. Amongst the Corporation Muniments of the City of Waterford is preserved an ancient Illuminated Roll, of great interest and beauty, comprising all the early Charters and Grants to the City of Waterford, from the time of Henry II. to Richard II. Full-length Portraits of each King adorn the margin, varying from eight to nine inches in length—some in armour and some in robes of state. In addition are Portraits of an Archbishop in full canonicals, of a Chancellor, and of many of the chief Burgesses of the City of Waterford, as well as singularly-curious Portraits of the Mayors of Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, and Cork, figured for the most part in the quaint bipartite costume of the Second Richard’s reign, peculiarities of that of Edward III. Altogether this ancient work of art is unique of its kind in Ireland, and deserves to be rescued from oblivion.John Camden Hotten, 74 & 75, Piccadilly, London.
NEW BOOKSPUBLISHED BYJOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN,74 & 75, PICCADILLY, LONDON, W.
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⁂Note.—In order to ensure the correct delivery of the actual Works, or Particular Editions, specified in this List, the name of the Publisher should be distinctly given. Stamps or a Post Office Order may be remitted direct to the Publisher, who will forward per return.
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THE REALITIES OF ABYSSINIA.
“It is almost a truism to say that the better a country is known the more difficult it is to write a book about it. Just now we know very little about Abyssinia and therefore trustworthy facts will be read with eagerness.”—Times, Oct. 9.
This day, price 7s. 6d., 400 pages, crown 8vo. cloth neat.
Abyssinia and its People; or, Life in the Land of Pres’er John.Edited byJohn Camden Hotten, Fellow of the Ethnological Society. With map and eight coloured illustrations.
“This book is specially intended for popular reading at the present time.”
“Mr. Hotten has published a work which presents the best view of the country yet made public. It will undoubtedly supply a want greatly felt.”—Morning Post.
“Very complete and well digested. A cyclopædia of information concerning the country.”—Publisher’s Circular.
“The author is certainly entitled to considerablekudosfor the manner in which he has collected and arranged very scattered materials.”—The Press.
“It abounds in interesting and romantic incident, and embodies many graphic pictures of the land we are about to invade. As a handbook for students, travellers, and general readers, it is all that can be desired.”—Court Journal.
“A book of remarkable construction, and at the present moment, peculiarly useful—very valuable and very interesting.”—Morning Star.
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Immediately.
New Book by the late Artemus Ward.
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A genuine unmutilated Reprint of the First Edition of
Captain Grose’s Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1785.
⁂Only a small number of copies of this very vulgar, but very curious book, have been printed for the Collectors of “Street Words” and Colloquialisms, on fine toned paper, half-bound morocco, gilt top, 6s.
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In Crown 8vo., pp. 650, 7s. 6d.
Caricature History of the Georges; or, Annuals of the House of Hanover, from the Squibs, the Broadsides, the Window Pictures, Lampoons, and Pictorial Caricatures of the Time.By THOMAS WRIGHT, F.S.A.
⁂Uniform with “History of Signboards,” and a companion volume to it. A most amusing and instructive work.
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“THE STANDARD WORK ON PRECIOUS STONES.”
The New Edition, Prices brought down to the Present Time.—Post 8vo., cloth extra, full gilt, 12s. 6d.
Diamonds and Precious Stones; their History, Value, and Properties, with Simple Tests for Ascertaining their Reality.By HARRY EMANUEL, F.R.G.S. With numerous Illustrations, tinted and plain.
“Will be acceptable to many readers.”—Times.
“An invaluable work for buyers and sellers.”—Spectator.
See theTimesReview of three columns.
⁂This new edition is greatly superior to the previous one. It gives the latest market value for Diamonds and Precious Stones of every size.
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CRUIKSHANK’S FAMOUS DESIGNS.
This day, choicely printed, in small 4to., price 6s.
German Popular Stories.Collected by the Brothers Grimm from Oral Tradition, and Translated by EDGAR TAYLOR. With Twenty-two Illustrations after the inimitable designs ofGeorge Cruikshank. Both series complete in 1 vol.
⁂These are the designs which Mr. Ruskin has praised so highly, placing them far above all Cruikshank’s other works of a similar character. So rare had the original book (published in 1823-1826) become, that £5 or £6 per copy was an ordinary price. By the consent of Mr. Taylor’s family a new Edition is now issued, under the care and superintendence of the printers who issued the originals forty years ago. The Illustrations are considered amongst the most extraordinary examples of successful reproduction that have ever been published. A very few copies onLARGE PAPER; proofs of plates onIndia paper, price One Guinea.
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THE BEST BOOK ON CONFECTIONERY AND DESSERTS.
New Edition, with Plates, Post 8vo., cloth, 6s. 6d.
Gunter’s Modern Confectioner.An Entirely New Edition of this Standard Work on the Preparation of Confectionery and the Arrangement of Desserts. Adapted for private families or large establishments. ByWilliam Jeanes, Chief Confectioner at Messrs. Gunter’s (Confectioners to Her Majesty), Berkeley Square.
“All housekeepers should have it.”—Daily Telegraph.
⁂This work has won for itself the reputation of being theStandard English Bookon the preparation of all kinds of Confectionery, and on the arrangement of Desserts.
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GUSTAVE DORÉ’S SPECIAL FAVOURITES.
This day, oblong 4to., handsome table book, 7s. 6d.
Historical Cartoons; or, Pictures of the World’s History from the First to the Nineteenth Century.By GUSTAVE DORÉ. With admirable letterpress descriptions of the Nineteen Centuries of European History.
⁂A new book of daring and inimitable designs, which will excite considerable attention, and doubtless command a wide circulation.
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Now ready, 7s. 6d.
History of Signboards. A Fourth Edition.
⁂TheTimes, in a review of three columns, remarked that the “good things in the book were so numerous as to defy the most wholesale depredation on the part of any reviewer.”
Nearly 100 most curious illustrations on wood are given, showing the various old signs which were formerly hung from taverns and other houses. The frontispiece represents the famous sign of “The Man loaded with Mischief,” in the colours of the original painting said to have been executed by Hogarth.
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In 4to., half-morocco, neat, 30s.
“Large-paper Edition” of History of Signboards.WithSeventy-twoextra Illustrations (not given in the small edition), showing Old London in the days when Signboards hung from almost every house.
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In Crown 8vo., handsomely printed, 3s. 6d.
Horace and Virgil (The Odes and Eclogues).Translated into English Verse. By HERBERT NOYES.
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THE NEW “SPECIAL” GUIDE.
200 pages, 24 Illustrations, Bird’s-eye View Map, Plan, &c. Crown 8vo., price One Shilling.
Hotten’s Imperial Paris Guide.Issued under the superintendence of Mr. CHARLES AUGUSTUS COLE, Commissioner to the Exhibition of 1851.
⁂This Guide is entirely new, and contains more Facts and Anecdotes than any other published. The materials have been collected by a well-known French Author, and the work has been revised by Mr. Cole.
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A SEQUEL TO THE “SHAM SQUIRE.”
New and Enlarged Edition, Crown 8vo., boards, 2s. 6d.
Ireland before the Union.With Revelations from the Unpublished Diary of Lord Clonmell. By W. J. FITZPATRICK, J.P.
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This day, price 1s., 160 pages,
A Visit to King Theodore.By a Traveller returned from Gondar. With a characteristicPortrait.
⁂A very descriptive and amusing account of the King and his Court by Mr. HENRY A. BURETTE.
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A VERY USEFUL BOOK.
Now ready, in Folio, half-morocco, cloth sides, 7s. 6d.
Literary Scraps, Cuttings from Newspapers, Extracts, Miscellanea, &c.A Folio Scrap-book of 340 columns, formed for the reception of Cuttings, &c. With Guards.
⁂A most useful volume, and one of the cheapest ever sold. The book is sure to be appreciated, and to become popular.
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A MAGNIFICENT WORK.
Immediately, in Crown 4to., sumptuously printed, £7.
Lives of the Saints.With 50 exquisite 4to. Illuminations, mostly coloured by hand; the Letterpress within Woodcut Borders of beautiful design.
⁂The illustrations to this work are far superior to anything of the kind ever published here before.
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In Crown 8vo., uniform with the “Slang Dictionary,” price 6s. 6d.
Lost Beauties of the English Language.Revived and Revivable in England and America. An Appeal to Authors, Poets, Clergymen, and Public Speakers.
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NEW AND GENUINE BOOK OF HUMOUR.
Uniform with Artemus Ward. Crown 8vo., toned paper, price 3s. 6d.
Mr. Sprouts his Opinions.
⁂Readers who found amusement in Artemus Ward’s droll books will have no cause to complain of this humorous production. A Costermonger who gets into Parliament and becomes one of the most “practical” Members, rivalling Bernal Osborne in his wit and Roebuck in his satire, OUGHT TO BE an amusing person.
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In 3 vols. Crown 8vo., £1. 11s. 6d.
Melchior Gorles.By Henry Aitchenbie.
The New Novel, illustrative of “Mesmeric Influence,” or whatever else we may choose to term that strange power which some persons exercise over others, controlling without being seen, ordering in silence, and enslaving or freeing as fancy or will may dictate.
⁂“The power of detaching the spirit from the body, of borrowing another’s physical courage, returning it at will with (or without) interest, has a humorous audacity of conception about it.”—Spectator.
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POPULAR MEMOIR OF FARADAY.
This day, Crown 8vo., toned paper, Portrait, price 6d.
Michael Faraday. Philosopher and Christian.By the Rev. SAMUEL MARTIN, of Westminster.
⁂An admirable résumé—designed for popular reading—of this great man’s life.
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Now ready, One Shilling Edition of
Never Caught: Personal Adventures in Twelve Successful Trips in Blockade Running.
⁂A Volume of Adventure of thrilling interest.
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FOLK-LORE, LEGENDS, PROVERBS OF ICELAND.
Now ready, Cheap Edition, with Map and Tinted Illustrations, 2s. 6d.
Oxonian in Iceland; with Icelandic Folk-lore and Sagas.By the Rev. FRED. METCALFE, M.A.
⁂A very amusing Book of Travel.
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MR. EDMUND OLLIER’S POEMS.
This day, cloth neat, 5s.
Poems from the Greek Mythology, and Miscellaneous Poems.By EDMUND OLLIER.
“What he has written is enough, and more than enough, to give him a high rank amongst the most successful cultivators of the English Muse.”—Globe.
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THE NEW RIDDLE BOOK.
New Edition of “An awfully Jolly Book for Parties.” On toned paper, cloth gilt, 7s. 6d.; cloth gilt, with Illustration in Colours by G. Doré, 8s. 6d.
Puniana; or, Thoughts Wise and Otherwise.Best Book of Riddles and Puns ever formed. With nearly 100 exquisitely fanciful drawings. Contains nearly 3,000 of the best Riddles and 10,000 most outrageous Puns, and it is believed will prove to be one of the most popular books ever issued.
Why did Du Chaillu get so angry when he was chaffed about the Gorilla? Why? we ask.
Why is a chrysalis like a hot roll? You will doubtless remark, “Because it’s the grub that makes the butter fly!” But see “Puniana.”
Why is a wide-awake hat so called? Because it never had a nap, and never wants one.
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A REPRODUCTION IN EXACT FACSIMILE, LETTER FOR LETTER, OF THE EXCESSIVELY RARE ORIGINAL OF SHAKESPEARE’S FAMOUS PLAY,
Much Adoe about Nothing.As it hath been sundrie times publikely acted by the Right Honourable the Lord Chamberlaine his seruants. Written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, 1600.
⁂Small quarto, on fine toned paper, half bound morocco, Roxburghe style, 4s. 6d. (Original price 10s. 6d.)
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Immediately, in Crown 4to., exquisitely printed, £3. 10s.
Saint Ursula, and the Story of the 11,000 Virgins,now newly told by THOMAS WRIGHT, F.S.A. With Twenty-five Full-page 4to. Illuminated Miniatures from the Pictures of Cologne.
⁂The finest book-paintings of the kind ever published. The artist has just obtained the gold prize at the Paris Exposition.
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New Edition, with large Additions, 15th Thousand, Crown 8vo., cloth, 6s. 6d.
Slang Dictionary.With Further Particulars of Beggars’ Marks.
⁂“Beggars’ Marks upon House Corners.—On our doorways, and on our house corners and gate-posts, curious chalk marks may occasionally be observed, which, although meaningless to us, are full of suggestion to tramps, beggars, and pedlars. Mr. Hotten intends giving, in the new edition of his ‘Slang Dictionary’—the fourth—some extra illustrations descriptive of this curious and, it is believed, ancient method of communicating the charitable or ill-natured intentions of house occupants; and he would be obliged by the receipt, at 74, Piccadilly, London, of any facts which might assist his inquiry.”—Notes and Queries.
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UNIFORM WITH ESSAYS WRITTEN IN THE “INTERVALS OF BUSINESS.”
This day, a Choice Book, on toned paper, 6s.
The Collector.Essays on Books, Authors, Newspapers, Pictures, Inns, Doctors, Holidays, &c. Introduction by Dr. DORAN.
⁂A charming volume of delightful Essays, with exquisitely-engraved Vignette of an Old-Book Collector busily engaged at his favourite pursuit of book-hunting. The work is a companion volume to Disraeli’s “Curiosities of Literature,” and to the more recently published “Book-Hunter,” by Mr. John Hill Burton.
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“A PERFECT MARVEL OF CHEAPNESS.”
Five of Scott’s Novels, complete, for 3s., well bound.
Waverley Novels.“Toned Paper.” Five Choice NovelsComplete for3s., cloth extra, 850 pp. This very handsome Volume contains unmutilated and Author’s Editions ofIvanhoe, Old Mortality, Fortunes of Nigel, Guy Mannering, Bride of Lammermoor.
Also,FIRST SERIES, Fifth Thousand, containingWaverley, The Monastery, Rob Roy, Kenilworth, The Pirate. All complete in 1 vol., cloth neat, 3s.
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A GUIDE TO READING OLD MANUSCRIPTS, RECORDS, &c.
Wright’s Court Hand Restored;or, Student’s Assistant in Reading Old Deeds, Charters, Records, &c. Half-morocco, 10s. 6d.
⁂A New Edition, corrected, of an invaluable Work to all who have occasion to consult old MSS., Deeds, Charters, &c. It contains a Series of Facsimiles of old MSS. from the time of the Conqueror, Tables of Contractions and Abbreviations, Ancient Surnames, &c.
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OLD ENGLISH RELIGIOUS BALLADS AND CAROLS.
This day, in small 4to., with very beautiful floriated borders, in the Renaissance style.
Songs of the Nativity.An entirely New Collection of Old Carols, including some never before given in any collection. With Music to the more popular. Edited by W. H. HUSK, Librarian to the Sacred Harmonic Society. In charmingly appropriate cloth, gilt, and admirably adapted for binding in antique calf or morocco, 12s. 6d.
⁂A volume which will not be without peculiar interest to lovers ofAncient English Poetry, and to admirers of ourNational Sacred Music. The work forms a handsome square 8vo., and has been printed with beautiful floriated borders by Whittingham & Wilkins. The Carols embrace the joyous and festive songs of the olden time, as well as those sacred melodies which have maintained their popularity from a period long before the Reformation.
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“DOES FOR WINCHESTER WHAT ‘TOM BROWN’ DID FOR RUGBY.”
This day, Crown 8vo., handsomely printed, 7s. 6d.,
School Life at Winchester; or, the Reminiscences of a Winchester Junior.By the Author of the “Log of the Water Lily.” With numerous illustrations, exquisitely coloured after the original drawings.
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ANGLICAN CHURCH ORNAMENTS.
This day, thick 8vo., with illustrations, price 15s.
English Church Furniture, Ornaments, and Decorations, at the Period of the Reformation.Edited by ED. PEACOCK, F.S.A.
“Very curious as showing what articles of church furniture were in those days considered to be idolatrous or unnecessary. The work, of which only a limited number has been printed, is of the highest interest to those who take part in the present Ritual discussion.”—See Reviews in the Religious Journals.
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NEW BOOK BY THE “ENGLISH GUSTAVE DORÉ.”—COMPANION TO THE “HATCHET-THROWERS.”
This day, 4to., Illustrations, coloured, 7s. 6d.; plain, 5s.
Legends of Savage Life.By James Greenwood, the famous Author of “A Night in a Workhouse.” With 36 inimitably droll Illustrations drawn and coloured byErnest Griset, the “English Gustave Doré.”
⁂Readers who found amusement in the “Hatchet-Throwers” will not regret any acquaintance they may form with this comical work. The pictures are among the most surprising which have come from this artist’s pencil.
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COMPANION VOLUME TO “LEECH’S PICTURES.”
This day, oblong 4to., a handsome volume, half morocco, price 12s.
Seymour’s Sketches.The Book of Cockney Sports, Whims, and Oddities. Nearly 200 highly amusing Illustrations.
⁂A reissue of the famous pictorial comicalities which were so popular thirty years ago. The volume is admirably adapted for a table-book, and the pictures will doubtless again meet with that popularity which was extended towards them when the artist projected with Mr. Dickens the famous “Pickwick Papers.”
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MR. SWINBURNE’S NEW WORK.
This day, in Demy 8vo., pp. 350, price 16s.
William Blake; Artist and Poet.A Critical Essay. By ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE.
⁂The coloured illustrations to this book have all been prepared, by a careful hand, from the original drawings painted by Blake and his wife, and are very different from ordinary book illustrations.
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RECENT POETRY.——MR. SWINBURNE’S NEW POEM.
This day, fcap. 8vo. toned paper, cloth, 3s. 6d.
A Song of Italy.By Algernon Charles Swinburne.
⁂TheAthenæumremarks of this poem:—“Seldom has such a chant been heard, so full of glow, strength, and colour.”
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Mr. Swinburne’s “Poems and Ballads.”
NOTICE.—The Publisher begs to inform the very many persons who have inquired after this remarkable Work that copies may now be obtained at all Booksellers, price 9s.
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Mr. Swinburne’s Noteson his Poems and on the Reviews which have appeared upon them, is now ready, price 1s.
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Also New and Revised Editions.
Atalanta in Calydon.By Algernon Charles Swinburne. 6s.
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Chastelard: a Tragedy.By A. C. Swinburne. 7s.
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Rossetti’s Criticism on Swinburne’s “Poems.”3s. 6d.
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UNIFORM WITH MR. SWINBURNE’S POEMS.
In fcap. 8vo., price 5s.
Walt Whitman’s Poems. (Leaves of Grass, Drum-taps, &c.)Selected and Edited by WILLIAM MICHAEL ROSSETTI.
⁂For twelve years the American poet Whitman has been the object of widespread detraction and of concentrated admiration. The admiration continues to gain ground, as evidenced of late by papers in the AmericanRound Table, in theLondon Review, in theFortnightly Reviewby Mr. M. D. Conway, in theBroadwayby Mr. Robert Buchanan, and in theChronicleby the editor of the selection announced above, as also by the recent publication of Whitman’s last poem, from advance sheets, inTinsleys’ Magazine.
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In preparation, small 4to. elegant.
Carols of Cockayne.By Henry S. Leigh. [Vers de Société and humorous pieces descriptive of London life.] With numerous requisite little designs, byAlfred Concannen.
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Now ready, price 3s. 6d.
The Prometheus Bound of Æschylus.Translated in the Original Metres. ByC. B. Cayley, B.A.
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Now ready, 4to. 10s. 6d., on toned paper, very elegant.
Bianca: Poems and Ballads.By Edward Brennan.
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Now ready, cloth, price 5s.
Poems from the Greek Mythology: and Miscellaneous Poems.ByEdmund Ollier.
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In crown 8vo. toned paper.
Poems.By P. F. Roe.
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In crown 8vo. handsomely printed.
The Idolatress, and other Poems.By Dr. Wills, Author of “Dramatic Scenes,” “The Disembodied,” and of various Poetical contributions toBlackwood’s Magazine.
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HOTTEN’S AUTHORIZED ONLY COMPLETE EDITIONS.
This day, on toned paper, price 6d.; by post, 7d.
Hotten’s New Book of Humour.“Artemus Ward Among the Fenians.”
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This day, 4th edition, on tinted paper, bound in cloth, neat, price 3s. 6d.; by post, 3s. 10d.
Hotten’s “Artemus Ward: His Book.”The Author’s Enlarged Edition; containing, in addition to the following edition, two extra chapters, entitled “The Draft in Baldinsville, with Mr. Ward’s Private Opinion concerning Old Bachelors,” and “Mr. W.’s Visit to a Graffick” (Soirée).
⁂“We never, not even in the pages of our best humorists, read anything so laughable and so shrewd as we have seen in this book by the mirthful Artemus.”—Public Opinion.
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New edition, this day, price 1s.; by post, 1s. 2d.
Hotten’s “Artemus Ward: His Book.” A Cheap Edition,without extra chapters, with portrait of author on paper cover, 1s.
⁂Notice.—Mr. Hotten’s Edition is the only one published in this country with the sanction of the author. Every copy contains A. Ward’s signature. TheSaturday Reviewof October 21st says of Mr. Hotten’s edition: “The author combines the powers of Thackeray with those of Albert Smith. The salt is rubbed in by a native hand—one which has the gift of tickling.”
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This day, crown 8vo., toned paper, cloth, price 3s. 6d.; by post, 3s. 10d.
Hotten’s “Artemus Ward: His Travels Among the Mormons and on the Rampage.”Edited by E. P. HINGSTON, the Agent and Companion of A. Ward whilst “on the Rampage.”
⁂Notice.—Readers of Artemus Ward’s droll books are informed that an Illustrated Edition of His Travels is now ready, containing numerous Comic Pictures, representing the different scenes and events in Artemus Ward’s Adventures.
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This day, cheap edition, in neat wrapper, price 1s.
Hotten’s “Artemus Ward: His Travels Among the Mormons.” The New Shilling Edition,with Ticket of Admission to Mormon Lecture.
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THE CHOICEST HUMOROUS POETRY OF THE AGE.
Hotten’s “Biglow Papers.”By James Russell Lowell. Price 1s.
⁂This Edition has been edited, with additional Notes explanatory of the persons and subjects mentioned therein, and is the only complete and correct edition published in this country.
“The celebrated ‘Biglow Papers.’”—Times.
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Biglow Papers. Another Edition,with Coloured Plates byGeorge Cruikshank, bound in cloth, neat, price 3s. 6d.
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Handsomely printed, square 12mo.,
Advice to Parties About to Marry.A Series of Instructions in Jest and Earnest. By the Hon. HUGH ROWLEY, and illustrated with numerous comic designs from his pencil.
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AN EXTRAORDINARY BOOK.
Beautifully printed, thick 8vo., new, half morocco, Roxburghe, 12s. 6d.
Hotten’s Edition of “Contes Drolatiques”(Droll Tales collected from the Abbeys of Loraine). Par BALZAC. With Four Hundred and Twenty-five Marvellous, Extravagant, and Fantastic Woodcuts byGustave Doré.
⁂The most singular designs ever attempted by any artist. This book is a fund of amusement. So crammed is it with pictures that even the contents are adorned with thirty-three illustrations.Direct application must be made to Mr. Hotten for this work.
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THE ORIGINAL EDITION OF JOE MILLER’S JESTS. 1739. Price 9s. 6d.
Joe Miller’s Jests: or, the Wit’s Vade-Mecum;a Collection of the most brilliant Jests, politest Repartees, most elegant Bons Mots, and most pleasant short Stories in the English Language. An interesting specimen of remarkable facsimile, 8vo., half morocco, price 9s. 6d. London: printed by T. Read, 1739.
Only a very few copies of this humorous book have been reproduced.
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This day, handsomely printed on toned paper, price 3s. 6d.; cheap edition, 1s.
Hotten’s “Josh Billings: His Book of Sayings;”with Introduction by E. P. HINGSTON, companion of Artemus Ward when on his “Travels.”
⁂For many years past the sayings and comicalities of “Josh Billings” have been quoted in our newspapers. His humour is of a quieter kind, more aphoristically comic, than the fun and drollery of the “delicious Artemus,” as Charles Reade styles the Showman. If Artemus Ward may be called the comic story-teller of his time, “Josh” can certainly be dubbed the comic essayist of his day. Although promised some time ago, Mr. Billings’ “Book” has only just appeared, but it contains all his best and most mirth-provoking articles.
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This day, in three vols., crown 8vo., cloth, neat.
Orpheus C. Kerr Papers.The Original American Edition, in Three Series, complete. Three vols., 8vo., cloth; sells at £1. 2s. 6d., now specially offered at 15s.
⁂A most mirth-provoking work. It was first introduced into this country by the English officers who were quartered during the late war on the Canadian frontier. They found it one of the drollest pieces of composition they had ever met with, and so brought copies over for the delectation of their friends.
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Orpheus C. Kerr [Office Seeker] Papers.First Series, Edited by E. P. HINGSTON. Price 1s.
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THACKERAY AND GEORGE CRUIKSHANK.
In small 8vo., cloth, very neat, price 4s. 6d.
Thackeray’s Humour.Illustrated by the Pencil of George Cruikshank. Twenty-four Humorous Designs executed by this inimitable artist in the year 1839-40, as illustrations to “The Fatal Boots” and “The Diary of Barber Cox,” with letterpress descriptions suggested by the late Mr. Thackeray.
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THE ENGLISH GUSTAVE DORÉ.
This day, in 4to., handsomely printed, cloth gilt, price 7s. 6d.; with plates uncoloured, 5s.
The Hatchet-Throwers;with Thirty-six Illustrations, coloured after the Inimitably Grotesque Drawings ofErnest Griset.
⁂Comprises the astonishing adventures of Three Ancient Mariners, the Brothers Brass of Bristol, Mr. Corker, and Mungo Midge.
“A Munchausen sort of book. The drawings by M. Griset are very powerful and eccentric.”—Saturday Review.
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This day, in Crown 8vo., uniform with “Biglow Papers,” price 3s. 6d.
Wit and Humour.By the “Autocrat of the Breakfast Table.” A volume of delightfully humorous Poems, very similar to the mirthful verses of Tom Hood. Readers will not be disappointed with this work.
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Cheap edition, handsomely printed, price 1s.
Vere Vereker: a Comic Story,by Thomas Hood, with Punning Illustrations. ByWilliam Brunton.
⁂One of the most amusing volumes which have been published for a long time. For a piece of broad humour, of the highly-sensational kind, it is perhaps the best piece of literary fun by Tom Hood.
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Immediately, at all the Libraries.
Cent. per Cent.: a Story written upon a Bill Stamp.By BLANCHARD JERROLD. With numerous coloured illustrations in the style of the late Mr. Leech’s charming designs.
⁂A Story of “The Vampires of London,” as they were pithily termed in a recent notorious case, and one of undoubted interest.
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AN ENTIRELY NEW BOOK OF DELIGHTFUL FAIRY TALES.
Now ready, square 12mo., handsomely printed on toned paper, in cloth, green and gold, price 4s. 6d. plain, 5s. 6d. coloured (by post 6d. extra).
Family Fairy Tales: or, Glimpses of Elfland at Heatherston Hall.Edited by CHOLMONDELEY PENNELL, Author of “Puck on Pegasus,” &c., adorned with beautiful pictures of “My Lord Lion,” “King Uggermugger,” and other great folks.
⁂This charming volume of Original Tales has been universally praised by the critical press.
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Pansie: a Child Story,the Last Literary Effort of Nathaniel Hawthorne. 12mo., price 6d.
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Rip Van Winkle: and the “Story of Sleepy Hollow.”By WASHINGTON IRVING. Foolscap 8vo., very neatly printed on toned paper, illustrated cover, 6d.
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Anecdotes of the Green Room and Stage; or, Leaves from an Actor’s Note-Book, at Home and Abroad.By GEORGE VANDENHOFF. Post 8vo., pp. 336, price 2s.
⁂Includes original anecdotes of the Keans (father and son), the two Kembles, Macready, Cooke, Liston, Farren, Elliston, Braham and his Sons, Phelps, Buckstone, Webster, Charles Matthews, Siddons, Vestris, Helen Faucit, Mrs. Nisbet, Miss Cushman, Miss O’Neil, Mrs. Glover, Mrs. Charles Kean, Rachel, Ristori, and many other dramatic celebrities.
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Berjean’s (P. C.) Book of Dogs:the Varieties of Dogs as they are found in Old Sculptures, Pictures, Engravings, and Books. 1865. Half-morocco, the sides richly lettered with gold, 7s. 6d.
⁂In this very interesting volume are 52 plates, facsimiled from rare old Engravings, Paintings, Sculptures, &c., in which may be traced over 100 varieties of dogs known to the ancients.
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This day, elegantly printed, pp. 96, wrapper 1s., cloth 2s., post free.
Carlyle on the Choice of Books.The Inaugural Address of THOMAS CARLYLE, with Memoir, Anecdotes, Two Portraits, and View of his House in Chelsea. The “Address” is reprinted fromThe Times, carefully compared with twelve other reports, and is believed to be the most accurate yet printed.
⁂The leader in theDaily Telegraph, April 25th, largely quotes from the above “Memoir.”
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In Fcap. 8vo., cloth, price 3s. 6d. beautifully printed.
Gog and Magog; or, the History of the Guildhall Giants.With some Account of the Giants which guard English and Continental Cities. By F. W. FAIRHOLT, F.S.A. With Illustrations on Wood by the author, coloured and plain.
⁂The critiques which have appeared upon this amusing little work have been uniformly favourable. TheArt Journalsays, in a long article, that it thoroughly explains who these old giants were, the position they occupied in popular mythology, the origin of their names, and a score of other matters, all of much interest in throwing a light upon fabulous portions of our history.
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Now ready, handsomely printed, price 1s. 6d.
Hints on Hats; adapted to the Heads of the People.By HENRY MELTON, of Regent Street. With curious woodcuts of the various style of Hats worn at different periods.
⁂Anecdotes of eminent and fashionable personages are given, and a fund of interesting information relative to the History of Costume and change of tastes may be found scattered through its pages.
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This day, handsomely bound, pp. 550, price 7s. 6d.
History of Playing Cards:with Anecdotes of their Use in Ancient and Modern Games, Conjuring, Fortune-Telling, and Card-sharping. With Sixty curious illustrations on toned paper. Skill and Sleight-of-Hand; Gambling and Calculation; Cartomancy and Cheating; Old Games and Gaming-Houses; Card Revels and Blind Hookey; Piquet and Vingt-et-un; Whist and Cribbage; Old-fashioned Tricks.
“A highly-interesting volume.”—Morning Post.
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This day, in 2 vols., 8vo., very handsomely printed, price 16s.
THE HOUSEHOLD STORIES OF ENGLAND.
Popular Romances of the West of England; or, the Drolls of Old Cornwall.Collected and edited by ROBERT HUNT, F.R.S.
For an analysis of this important work see printed description, which may be obtained gratis at the publisher’s.
Many of the stories are remarkable for their wild poetic beauty; others surprise us by their quaintness; whilst others, again, show forth a tragic force which can only be associated with those rude ages which existed long before the period of authentic history.
Mr. George Cruikshank has supplied two wonderful pictures as illustrations to the work. One is a portrait of Giant Bolster, a personage twelve miles high.
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Pp. 336, handsomely printed, cloth extra, price 3s. 6d.
Holidays with Hobgoblins; or, Talk of Strange Things.By DUDLEY COSTELLO. With humorous engravings byGeorge Cruikshank. Amongst the chapters may be enumerated: Shaving a Ghost; Superstitions and Traditions; Monsters; the Ghost of Pit Pond; the Watcher of the Dead; the Haunted House near Hampstead; Dragons, Griffins, and Salamanders; Alchemy and Gunpowder; Mother Shipton; Bird History; Witchcraft and Old Boguey; Crabs; Lobsters; the Apparition of Monsieur Bodry.
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SUPPLEMENTARY VOLUME TO HONE’S WORKS.
In preparation, thick 8vo., uniform with “Year-Book,” pp. 800.
Hone’s Scrap Book.A Supplementary Volume to the “Every-Day Book,” the “Year-Book,” and the “Table-Book.” From the MSS. of the late WILLIAM HONE, with upwards of One Hundred and Fifty engravings of curious or eccentric objects.
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BARNUM’S NEW BOOK.
Humbugs of the World.By P. T. Barnum. Pp. 320. crown 8vo., cloth extra, 4s. 6d.
“A most vivacious book, and a very readable one.”—Globe.
“The history of Old Adams and his grisly bears is inimitable.”—Athenæum.
“A History of Humbugs by the Prince of Humbugs! What book can be more promising?”—Saturday Review.
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A KEEPSAKE FOR SMOKERS.
This day, 48mo., beautifully printed from silver-faced type, cloth, very neat, gilt edges, price 2s. 6d.
Smoker’s Text Book.By J. Hamer, F.R.S.L. This exquisite little volume comprises the most important passages from the works of eminent men written in favour of the much-abused weed. Its compilation was suggested by a remark made by Sir Bulwer Lytton:—
“A pipe is a great comforter, a pleasant soother. The man who smokes thinks like a sage and acts like a Samaritan.”
⁂A few copies have been choicely bound in calf antique and morocco, price 10s. 6d. each.
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A NEW BOOK BY THE LATE MR. THACKERAY.
The Student’s Quarter; or, Paris Life Five-and-Twenty Years Since.By the late WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY. With numerous coloured illustrations after designs made at the time.
⁂For these interesting sketches of French literature and art, made immediately after the Revolution of 1830, the reading world is indebted to a gentleman in Paris, who has carefully preserved the original papers up to the present time.
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Thackeray: the Humorist and the Man of Letters.The Story of his Life and Literary Labours. With some particulars of his Early Career never before made public. By THEODORE TAYLOR, Esq., Membre de la Société des gens de Lettres. Price 7s. 6d.
⁂Illustrated with Photographic Portrait (one of the most characteristic known to have been taken) by Ernest Edwards, B.A.; view of Mr. Thackeray’s House, built after a favourite design of the great novelist’s; facsimile of his Handwriting, long noted in London literary circles for its exquisite neatness; and a curious life sketch of his Coat of Arms, a pen and pencil humorously introduced as the crest, the motto, “Nobilitas est sola virtus” (Virtue is the sole nobility).
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This day, neatly printed, price 1s. 6d.; by post 1s. 8d.
Mental Exertion: its Influence on Health.By Dr. BRIGHAM. Edited, with additional Notes, by Dr. ARTHUR LEARED, Physician to the Great Northern Hospital. This is a highly important little book, showing how far we may educate the mind without injuring the body.
⁂The recent untimely deaths of Admiral Fitzroy and Mr. Prescott, whose minds gave way under excessive mental exertion, fully illustrate the importance of the subject.
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EVERY HOUSEKEEPER SHOULD POSSESS A COPY.
Now ready, in cloth, price 2s. 6d.; by post 2s. 8d.
The Housekeeper’s Assistant;a Collection of the most valuable Recipes, carefully written down for future use, by Mrs. B—— during her forty years’ active service.
As much as two guineas has been paid for a copy of this invaluable little work.
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How to See Scotland;or, a Fortnight in the Highlands for £6.
A plain and practical guide.—Price 1s.
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Now ready, 8vo., price 1s.
List of British Plants.Compiled and Arranged by Alex More, F.L.S.
⁂This comparativeList of British Plantswas drawn up for the use of the country botanist, to show the differences in opinion which exist between different authors as to the number of species which ought to be reckoned within the compass of thefloraof Great Britain.
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Now ready, price 2s. 6d.; by post 2s. 10d.
Dictionary of the Oldest Words in the English Language,from the Semi-Saxon Period ofA.D.1250 to 1300; consisting of an Alphabetical Inventory of Every Word found in the Printed English Literature of the 13th Century, by the late HERBERT COLERIDGE, Secretary to the Philological Society. 8vo., neat half morocco.
⁂An invaluable work to historical students and those interested in linguistic pursuits.
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The School and College Slang of England;or, Glossaries of the Words and Phrases peculiar to the Six great Educational Establishments of the country.—Preparing.
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This day, in Crown 8vo., handsomely printed, price 7s. 6d.
Glossary of all the Words, Phrases, and Customs peculiar to Winchester College.
See “School Life at Winchester College,” recently published.
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Robson; a Sketch, by Augustus Sala.An Interesting Biography, with Sketches of his famous characters, “Jem Baggs,” “Boots at the Swan,” “The Yellow Dwarf,” “Daddy Hardacre,” &c. Price 6d.
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In preparation, Crown 8vo., handsomely printed.
The Curiosities of Flagellation:an Anecdotal History of the Birch in Ancient and Modern Times: its Use as a Religious Stimulant, and as a Corrector of Morals in all Ages. With some quaint illustrations. By J. G. BERTRAND, Author of “The Harvest of the Sea,” &c.
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In 1 vol., with 300 Drawings from Nature, 2s. 6d. plain, 4s. 6d. coloured by hand.
The Young Botanist: a Popular Guide to Elementary Botany.By T. S. RALPH, of the Linnæan Society.
⁂An excellent book for the young beginner. The objects selected as illustrations are either easy of access as specimens of wild plants, or are common in gardens.
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Common Prayer.Illustrated by Holbein and Albert Durer. With Wood Engravings of the “Life of Christ,” rich woodcut border on every page of Fruit and Flowers; also the Dance of Death, a singularly curious series after Holbein, with Scriptural Quotations and Proverbs in the Margin. Square 8vo., cloth neat, exquisitely printed on tinted paper, price 8s. 6d.; in dark morocco, very plain and neat, with block in the Elizabethan style impressed on the sides, gilt edges, 16s. 6d.
Apply direct for this exquisite volume.
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AN APPROPRIATE BOOK TO ILLUMINATE.
⁂The attention of those who practise the beautiful art of Illuminating is requested to the following sumptuous volume:—
The Presentation Book of Common Prayer.Illustrated with Elegant Ornamental Borders in red and black, from “Books of Hours” and Illuminated Missals, by GEOFFREY TORY. One of the most tasteful and beautiful books ever printed. May now be seen at all booksellers.
Although the price is only a few shillings (7s. 6d. in plain cloth; 8s. 6d. antique do.; 14s. 6d. morocco extra), this edition is so prized by artists that, at the South Kensington and other important Art Schools, copies are kept for the use of students.
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Now ready, in 8vo., on tinted paper, nearly 350 pages, very neat, price 5s.
Family History of the English Counties:Descriptive Account of Twenty Thousand most Curious and Rare Books, Old Tracts, Ancient Manuscripts, Engravings, and Privately-printed Family Papers, relating to the History of almost every Landed Estate and Old English Family in the Country; interspersed with nearly Two Thousand Original Anecdotes, Topographical and Antiquarian Notes. By JOHN CAMDEN HOTTEN.
By far the largest collection of English and Welsh Topography and Family History ever formed. Each article has a small price affixed for the convenience of those who may desire to possess any book or tract that interests them.
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AN INTERESTING VOLUME TO ANTIQUARIES.
Now ready, 4to., half morocco, handsomely printed, price 7s. 6d.
Army Lists of the Roundheads and Cavaliers in the Civil War.
⁂These most curious Lists show on which side the gentlemen of England were to be found during the great conflict between the King and the Parliament. Only a very few copies have been most carefully reprinted on paper that will gladden the heart of the lover of choice books.
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Folio, exquisitely printed on toned paper, with numerous Etchings, &c., price 28s.
Millais Family,the Lineage and Pedigree of, recording its History from 1331 to 1865, byJ. B. Payne, with Illustrations from Designs by the Author.
⁂Of this beautiful volume only sixty copies have been privately printed for presents to the several members of the family. The work is magnificently bound in blue and gold. These are believed to be the only etchings of an heraldic character ever designed and engraved by the distinguished artist of the name.
Apply direct for this work.
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Now ready, 12mo., very choicely printed, price 6s. 6d.
London Directory for 1677,the Earliest Known List of the London Merchants. See Review in theTimes, Jan. 22.
⁂This curious little volume has been reprinted verbatim from one of the only two copies known to be in existence. It contains an Introduction pointing out some of the principal persons mentioned in the list. For historical and genealogical purposes the little book is of the greatest value. Herein will be found the originators of many of the great firms and co-partnerships which have prospered through two pregnant centuries, and which exist some of them in nearly the same names at this day. Its most distinctive feature is the early severance which it marks of “goldsmiths that keep running cashes,” precursors of the modern bankers, from the mass of the merchants of London.
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Now ready, price 5s.; by post, on roller, 5s. 4d.
Magna Charta.An Exact Facsimile of the Original Document preserved in the British Museum, very carefully drawn, and printed on fine plate paper, nearly 3 feet long by 2 feet wide, with the Arms and Seals of the Barons elaborately emblazoned in gold and colours.A.D.1215.
⁂Copied by express permission, and the only correct drawing of the Great Charter ever taken. Handsomely framed and glazed, in carved oak of an antique pattern, 22s. 6d. It is uniform with the “Roll of Battle Abbey.”
A full translation, with Notes, has just been prepared, price 6d.
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NEW BOOK BY PROFESSOR RENAN’S ASSOCIATE.
Exquisitely printed, 12mo., cloth, very neat, price 3s. 6d.
Apollonius of Tyana: the Pagan or False Christ of the Third Century.An Essay. By ALBERT REVILLE, Pastor of the Walloon Church at Rotterdam. Authorized translation.
⁂A most curious account of an attempt to revive Paganism in the third century by means of a false Christ. Strange to say, the principal events in the life of Apollonius are almost identical with the Gospel narrative. Apollonius was born in a mysterious way about the same time as Christ. After a period of preparation came a Passion, then a Resurrection, and an Ascension. In many other respects the parallel is equally extraordinary.
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In the press, 4to. Part I.
The Celtic Tumuli of Dorsetshire:an Account of Personal and other Researches on the Sepulchral Mounds of the Durotiges; forming the First Part of a Description of the Primeval Antiquities of the County.
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In small 4to. handsomely printed, 1s. 6d.
Esholt in Airedale, Yorkshire:the Cistercian Priory of St. Leonard, Account of, with View of Esholt Hall.
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ANECDOTES OF THE “LONG PARLIAMENT” OF 1645.
Now ready, in 4to., half morocco, choicely printed, price 7s. 6d.
The Mysteries of the Good Old Cause:Sarcastic Notices of those Members of the Long Parliament that held places, both Civil and Military, contrary to the Self-denying Ordinance of April 3, 1645; with the sums of money and lands they divided among themselves.
⁂Gives many curious particulars about the famous Assembly not mentioned by historians or biographers. The history of almost every county in England receives some illustration from it. Genealogists and antiquaries will find in it much interesting matter.
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Now ready, in 4to., very handsomely printed, with curious woodcut initial letters, extra cloth, 18s.; or crimson morocco extra, the sides and back covered in rich fleur-de-lys, gold tooling, 55s.
Roll of Carlaverlock,with the Arms of the Earls, Barons, and Knights who were present at the Siege of this Castle in Scotland, 26 Edward I.,A.D.1300; including the Original Anglo-Norman Poem, and an English Translation of the MS. in the British Museum; the whole newly edited by THOMAS WRIGHT, Esq., M.A., F.S.A.
⁂A very handsome volume, and a delightful one to lovers of Heraldry, as it is the earliest blazon or arms known to exist.
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UNIFORM WITH “MAGNA CHARTA.”
Roll of Battle Abbey;or, a List of the Principal Warriors who came over from Normandy with William the Conqueror and settled in this country,A.D.1066-7, from Authentic Documents, very carefully drawn, and printed on fine plate paper, nearly three feet long by two feet wide, with the Arms of the principal Barons elaborately emblazoned in gold and colours, price 5s.; by post, on roller, 5s. 4d.
⁂A most curious document, and of the greatest interest, as the descendants of nearly all these Norman Conquerors are at this moment living amongst us. No names are believed to be in this “Battel Roll,” which are not fully entitled to the distinction.
Handsomely framed and glazed, in carved oak of an antique pattern, price 22s. 6d.
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Warrant to Execute Charles I.An Exact Facsimile of this Important Document in the House of Lords, with the Fifty-nine Signatures of the Regicides, and Corresponding Seals, admirably executed on paper made to imitate the Original Document, 22 in. by 14 in. Price 2s.; by post, 2s. 4d. Handsomely framed and glazed, in carved oak of an antique pattern, 14s. 6d.
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Now ready.
Warrant to Execute Mary Queen of Scots.The Exact Facsimile of this Important Document, including the Signature Queen Elizabeth and Facsimile of the Great Seal, on tinted paper, made to imitate the original MS. Safe on roller, 2s.; by post, 2s. 4d.
Handsomely framed and glazed, in carved oak of an antique pattern, 14s. 6d.
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In 1 vol., 4to., on tinted paper, with 19 large and most curious Plates in facsimile, coloured by hand, including an ancient View of the City of Waterford.
Illuminated Charter-Roll of Waterford, Temp. Richard II.Price to Subscribers, 20s.; Non-subscribers, 30s.
⁂Of the very limited impression proposed, more than 150 copies have already been subscribed for. Amongst the Corporation Muniments of the City of Waterford is preserved an ancient Illuminated Roll, of great interest and beauty, comprising all the early Charters and Grants to the City of Waterford, from the time of Henry II. to Richard II. Full-length Portraits of each King adorn the margin, varying from eight to nine inches in length—some in armour and some in robes of state. In addition are Portraits of an Archbishop in full canonicals, of a Chancellor, and of many of the chief Burgesses of the City of Waterford, as well as singularly-curious Portraits of the Mayors of Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, and Cork, figured for the most part in the quaint bipartite costume of the Second Richard’s reign, peculiarities of that of Edward III. Altogether this ancient work of art is unique of its kind in Ireland, and deserves to be rescued from oblivion.
John Camden Hotten, 74 & 75, Piccadilly, London.