Kidgell, John

small 8vo (158 x 98mm.), 2 volumes, FIRST PUBLISHED EDITION, with engraved title-pages in English and French (2 in each volume) and numerous engraved illustrations, pp.262-267 incorrectly numbered, contemporary vellum covered boards, collector's brown morocco-backed collector's box, illustrations neatly hand-coloured, boards slightly soiled with light wear to corners, endpapers slightly cracking and lifting, some spotting and browning to pages, loss to edge of leaf B4 (not affecting text), lacking errata leaf, contemporary ownership inscription dated 1779 (2)

See Lowndes, III, 1269 and Osborne p.568

ONE OF THE EARLIEST COLOURING BOOKS FOR CHILDREN. The 94 fables appear in both French and English (with the English on the verso and the French on the recto of each leaf), each accompanied by an outline illustration, which in this edition have been deftly hand coloured. 

Kidgell intended to publish the book in 1763, but - according to rumour - George III was so offended by the text that he bought up the entirety of the first edition to prevent its circulation. Kidgell was not deterred however, and simply reissued his book privately in 1764.

Shortly afterwards, Kidgell was forced to flee England as a result of the crucial role he played in the Wilkes affair of November 1763. It was he who secured the sheets of Wilkes' Essay on Woman from his private press printer and supplied them to the Earl of Sandwich, an action which brought him disfavour from all sides in the dispute. In exile and poverty, Kidgell reissued his Fables once again in Brussels in 1772 with a new title-page reading "Original Fables... adorned with copper plates very proper for to colour".