Martial Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies: From 1799 to 1815

London: Printed for Js. Jenkins...by L. Harrison.., 1814. Full Description:

[JENKINS, James]. The Martial Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies: From 1799 to 1815. London: Printed for Js. Jenkins...by L. Harrison..., [1814-1815].

First edition, large paper copy. With the text watermarked J. Whatman / 1812 and 1810 and plates watermarked 1824-1825. Large quarto (13 1/2 x 11 1/4 inches; 345 x 286 mm). Complete with engraved title-page with an uncolored vignette and fifty-three hand-colored aquatint plates, including frontispiece (captioned as "vignette title"), dedication leaf with the arms of the Duke of Wellington, and fifty-one views of military scenes and battles, by T. Sutherland, D. Havell, J. Clarke, M. Dubourg and J. Hassell from drawings by W. Heath. Bound without the List of Subscribers.

Contemporary red straight-grain morocco, by Bayntun of Bath. Boards tooled in gilt and stamped with gilt central lozenge devices. Spines stamped and lettered in gilt. Board edges tooled in gilt. Gilt dentelles. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Some invisible repairs to spine. Occasional minor toning, usually to blank side of plates. Small closed tear repaired on black margin of text leaf H3. Previous owner's bookplate on front pastedown. Overall a very good copy, with excellent impressions of these finely engraved, vibrantly colored plates.

In a discussion of color plate books on Wellington and Waterloo ("a literature in themselves"), Prideaux distinguishes this volume and Jenkins's 1817 companion volume, Naval Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies, as "worthy of their theme; nor could one desire a finer record of heroic deeds" (pp. 223, 224).

Abbey, Life, 365. Prideaux, p. 341. Tooley 281.

HBS 68889.

$4,250.