Ballads of the Bench and Bar or Idle Lays of the Parliament House.
The Illustrator's Personal Copy with a Tipped-in Supplement of Suppressed Content Paul, James Balfour, [1846-1931]. Editor. Read, John. Editor. Halkett, George R[oland], [1855-1918]. Illustrator. Ballads of the Bench and Bar or Idle Lays of the Parliament House. [Edinburgh]: Privately Printed, 1882. 126, [1] pp. Woodcut frontispiece and illustrations. Quarto (10" x 8-1/4"; 25.4 x 20.95 cm). Contemporary straight-grained morocco over cloth, gilt insignia to front board, top edge gilt, deckle fore and bottom edges. Moderate rubbing to boards, moderate rubbing to extremities with some wear to joints, spine ends and corners. Bookplate of Halkett and two early bookseller descriptions affixed to front pastedown. Original artist's sketch, and two photographs of jurists laid in. Pencilled annotations throughout identify the individuals who are portrayed in the woodcuts or alluded to in the text. Text printed on fine wide-margined paper, text ruled in red line borders, internally clean. $950. * From an edition limited to 305 copies, this number 75. Limitation page signed by editors. This charming volume of amusing legal prose and poetry illustrated with caricatures contains such entries as "Boots to His Moribund Moustache," "The Deans of Faculty," "A Successful Career," "An Elaborate Argument," "The Ex-Circuiteer's Lament, "The Rhyme of the Scottish Jurist," and "Trux Aper Insequitar." The woodcuts are by William Watson after illustrations by Roger Montgomerie and "E.G." A note on the limitation page notes that all the woodcuts were destroyed when the print run was finished.
Price: $950.00
Book number 84497