Lear, Edward

2 volumes bound as one, oblong 8vo (5 3/4 x 8 1/8 in.; 145 x 206 mm). Pictorial title page (repeated in second volume), 71 lithographed plates each with illustration and limerick in 3- to 5-line sloping capitals; apparently lacking 1 plate ("Berlin"), 1 plate ("Ems") bound upside down and backwards, fore-margins mended in four plates, a few edge tears mended, two mended in gutter margin, dampstain in upper margin of "South" touching image, top edge of "Kildare" shaved, some spotting and soiling. Contemporary half-calf and marbled boards; joints rubbed and mended, extremities rubbed, a few scuff marks.

E. Carleton Holmes (engraved armorial bookplate)

Noakes, Edward Lear 1812-1888, no. 72; Osborne, p. 69

apparently lacking 1 plate ("Berlin"), 1 plate ("Ems") bound upside down and backwards, fore-margins mended in four plates, a few edge tears mended, two mended in gutter margin, dampstain in upper margin of "South" touching image, top edge of "Kildare" shaved, some spotting and soiling. Contemporary half-calf and marbled boards; joints rubbed and mended, extremities rubbed, a few scuff marks.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

One of the rarest of all children's books, this is one of 23 copies of the first edition known to have survived, of which only 11 are complete (and only 7 have the original wrappers intact).

The publication of Lear's Book of Nonsense in 1846 popularized the limerick. He was working as a natural history illustrator at the home of the Earls of Derby, where children and mirth prevailed, in the 1830s. The publication appeared under the name of "Old Derry Down Derry"; Lear was not identified on the book until the third edition.

The book was much read and because of the quality of the binding, pages soon became detached, the covers became damaged and lost. "It is a book of the very greatest rarity. Some scholars feel that its bibliographical complexities are almost as mysterious as the origin of the limerick" (PML, Early Children's Books, no. 251).