THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD; by Oliver Goldsmith / Embellished with engravings / from the designs of / Richd. Westall, M.A.
London: Printed for John Sharpe, Piccadilly, 1819. Richard Westall, M.A. Calf. 12mo, calf with decorative gold marginal inlays & edges, steel-engraved title page and 5 engravings in text,194-pages + [2pp. table of contents]. Very Good. Item #376
Overall, a nicely illustrated and relatively early edition of the English classic (1766) by Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774).
The Anglo-Irish author died young and is remembered principally for this work and for the drama "She Stoops to Conquer" (1771). It is also thought that he wrote "Little Goody Two-Shoes" (1765).
Richard Westall, RA (1765-1836) was a prominent English painter and illustrator of fiction and poetry. His portraits of Lord Byron were widely acclaimed, and the poet declared that Westall's "brush has beat the poetry." The artist later served as Queen Victoria's drawing master. (Based upon examples of her work recently revealed on television by her grandson, Prince Charles, the queen became quite accomplished in her sketches and studies of children and landscapes.)
Bookplate of Jonathan Worthy. Text is clean though slightly age-toned. Spine is chpped at lower margin and joints tended. Leather is rubbed; engravings are very slightly foxed. Page 149 has been imperfectly folded along its right edge, creased, and with a small 1/4" nick.
Price: $145.00