THE TASTE of the TOWN or a GUIDE to all PUBLIC DIVERSIONS. de RALPH, James. (attributed):

London, Printed, and sold by the booksellers of London and Westminster, 1731... viz. I. Of musick, operas and plays. Their original, progress, and improvement, and the stage-entertainment fully vindicated from the exceptions of Old Pryn, the Reverend Mr. Collier, Mr. Bedford and Mr. Law. II. Of poetry, sacred and profane. A project for introducing scripture-stories upon our stage, and acting them on Sundays and Holy-Days after Divine Service, as is customary in most polite parts of Europe. III. Of dancing, religious and dramatical. Reflections on this exercise, public and private, with the learned bishop Potter's sentiments thereon. IV. Of the mimes, pantomimes and choruses of the antients; and of the imitation of them in our modern entertainments after plays. V. Of audiences, at our theatrical representations, their due behaviour, and of cat-calls and other indecent practices, concluding with remarks on our pretenders to criticism. VI. Of masquerades; ecclesiasatical, political, civil and military: their antiquity, use and abuse. Also of ridottos, assemblies and Henley's oratory. VII. Of the athletic sports of the antients: their circus compared with our bear-garden, and their gladiators with our prize-fighters. Of cock-fighting, puppet-shews, mountebanks and auctions. A reissue of the 1728 edition of The Touch-stone, with a new title-page in red and black, 1731. Small 8vo bound in sixes, approximately 160 x 100 mm, 6¼ x 4 inches, pages: xxviii, 1-237, [1] last page blank, Epistle dedicatory signed: A. Primcock, i.e. James Ralph, head- and tailpieces and decorated initials, bound in full panelled calf. Binding rubbed and scuffed, upper hinges rubbed and beginning to crack, covers still securely attached, slight loss of leather at foot of spine, small repair to lower corner of upper cover, tips of corners worn with board just showing, shelf wear to edges, small track of worming affecting the title page and prelims, no loss of text and mostly affecting margins, from page 5-48 a very tiny pin hole to margins hardly noticeable, small neat repair to worming on blank side of title page, light turning creases to top corner of pages, pale browning to edges of pastedowns and following endpapers, occasional pale foxing and tiny mark, small nick to bottom of 1 margin, otherwise a very good clean copy. ESTC T140547. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.