Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi, Charles Whitehead, "Boz" editor, 1853

A New Edition; a reissue of Richard Bentley's Second Edition, 1846, the First Edition with notes by Whitehead. Small 8vo, 256pp. Frontispiece portrait of Grimaldi, after Raven. Three-quarter leather with marble boards and marble endpapers. Gilt title on black spine label, five raised bands. 10 b&w plates by George Cruikshank.

This revised edition has extensive notes by Charles Whitehead and retains the original Cruikshank illustrations. Grimaldi, (1779-1837) was England's greatest clown. The 1853 Routledge edition of 'Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi' edited by Charles 'Boz' Dickens. It is the story of Late Georgian / Early Victorian Clown / artiste, Joseph Grimaldi. The book is a window into the delights and tragedies of late Georgian life, centering on the theatre and through the eyes of the said clown. If you thought anyone below the local squire just groveled in the mud for the odd shekel, think again, in this instance anyway. Grimaldi earned amounts then, which your local band in the pub or club would be happy to earn now. Most of all though, take in the dignity of a man whose trusting nature saw him victim to many a rogue, most with a lawyers signature behind them. It is also worth noting that as Dickens was the final editor, the man's life story is presented in true Dickensian fashion; it could almost be Pickwick's Papers, it is that good.