Somervile, William. The Chase; A Poem. With prefaces by Somervile + Bulmer plus Critical Essay (by Aikin). With

by Thomas after John Bewick. London, W. Bulmer, Shakespeare Printing Office, 1802. Large 8vo. XXIII , 105 pp., 1 l. Dark blue half morrocco with broad leather corners and coloured marbled boards und fly leaves, gilt title on spine + boards. (1872.) Two sides uncut. Gilt head

Schwerdt II, 166 f. (several editions); Podeschi, Books on the Horse and Horsemenship (Mellon Coll.), 73 (ed. 1796) with 3 (1 full-page.) ills. – New issue of the edition of 1796 as the first one accompanied by Aikin’s essay on Whatman paper of 1801.

Major  work  of  Somervile  (1677 Ederston 1742), distinguished by expert knowledge (Meyer’s Konversations-Lexikon, 4^th ed., XV, 22). Its original edition was published in 1735.

“ ‘The Chace’ was his best poem, and was highly approved of by the first literary characters of his day. It went through a large number of editions … ”

(Schwerdt).

with his differently engraved coat-of-arms in woodcut and steel engraving resp. bound before and after. – Autograph encrypted note on costs for purchase and binding of 1872 plus number on end fly leaf. – Binding a bit rubbed, the boards slightly faded and on the back a little used. Title + fly leaves slightly foxing, otherwise quite isolated spots. As a whole an opportunity.

Thomas  Bewick  (Cherryburn near Ovingham/Northumberland 1753 – Gateshead/Tyne and Wear 1828),

“ an  excellent  English  wood  engraver

whom the Britons mainly owe the improvement of the art of engraving” , won the price of Society for the Arts in London for the best woodcut depicting a hound in 1775. 1790 he published the Natural History of Quadrupeds in which

“ he proved himself as the most excellent woodcutter and draughtsman for animals, the correctness of his drawing, the truth of expression, and the delicacy of the cut is to be admired here, just as in all his later works. Hereto several illustrations of … animals,

vignettes for English classical writers belong … Bewick also invented the new method by which one can achieve all nuances of inks even in woodcuts by giving different heigths to the surface of the wood plates ”

(Nagler).

“ One  of  the  most  charming  books  by  Bewick

is  William  Somervile’s  ‘The  Chase’ .

Except for one the illustrations were drawn by John Bewick (the brother, passed away in 1795) giving by these chief proof of his talent; nine of these he cut himself, Thomas the others with all skilled gentleness. The figurative is placed into a nice landscape setting that finely that woodcuts emerged which grew beyond the vignette-like

to  an  autonomous  painterly  image  effect ”

(Rühmann, D. illustr. Buch d. XIX. Jhdts., p. 46).

And thus the work here combines once again

(Hope 181). – See also Thomas Landseer, The Brawl about the Fox.
Offer no. 10,961 / EUR  445. / Export price EUR  423. (c. US$ 640.) + shipping

„ heute kam das Paket – vielen Dank für die excellente Verpackung. Das Bild ist wirklich sehr schön … Wir freuen uns auf Ihre (weitere) Nachricht. Herzliche Grüße aus F. “

(Herr + Frau T. C., 13. Mai 2002)