Heads of the People

"Heads of the People - or, Portraits of the English" with Original Essays by Distinguished Writers (including Mrs. Gore, Nimrod, Douglas Jerrold, C. Whitehead, Mrs. S.C. Hall, Leigh Hunt, William Howitt, William Thackeray, and Paul Prendergast). 1841 1st American edition; Carey & Hart; Philadelphia. The book features an illustrated title page with frontispiece, as well as numerous full-page engravings by Kenny Meadows. There is a 16-page publisher's catalog at the front, which includes reviews for this book by various publications.

The contents are as follows: Debtor and Creditor; The Cockney; The Diner-Out; The Fashionable Authoress; The "Lion" of a Party; The Young Lord; The Young Squire; The Waiter; The Dress-Maker; The Coachman and the Guard; The Linen-Draper's Assistant; The Chaperon and the Debutante; The Collegian; The Conductor; Tavern Heads; The Basket-Woman; Captain Rook and Mr. Pigeon; The Sporting Gentleman; The Farmer's Daughter; The Family Governess; The Stock-Broker; The Printer's Devil; The Bricklayer's Laborer.

From a review by 'The Atlas': "By the title, the "Heads of the People,' the projector mean a series of portraits of different grades and occupations - showing aristocratic life familiarly to the humble, and developing those strange passages in the warfare of the inferior ranks with fortune, which are utterly unknown a little higher up in the scale. Each character, or class, is described in a pleasant, stinging paper, and illustrated by a clever embellishment. The descriptions are lively, satirical, and true to life; and the engravings are highly graphic and humourous. The design is good, and capable of a rich harvest of entertainment."

Condition:
There is a light, horizontal stain across the bottom half of the front cover; light staining on the spine; clean back cover. Tiny cloth tears at 3 of the corner tips. 1/2" cloth tear at the top-left corner of the spine. Tight binding with no cracks. There is a small cluster of pages near the front (pages 47-54) that have pulled from the top 2 strings and the bottom 2 strings, but are still attached at the center 2 strings. Another small cluster (pages 82-87) has pulled from the top 2 strings. Consistent mild foxing to the pages (though heavier on the front and rear pastedowns, and to a few random text pages). Overall the book is in Good condition.