LARGE PAPER ISSUE WITH UNFOLDED PLATES

ASTLE, Thomas.
The origin and progress of writing, as hieroglyphic as elementary, illustrated by engravings taken from marbles, manuscripts and charters, ancient and modern: Also some account of the origin and progress of printing.
London: Printed by T. Bensley, for J. White, 1803.

Second edition, large paper issue, with additions. Large folio (19 x 12-1/8 in.). [10 (4 blank)], xxiv, 240, [2 (blank)] pp. Full tan calf by Francis Bedford, 1861 (old notation on last blank endpaper), rebacked in slightly lighter calf, spine in eight compartments with gilt lettering, rolls and rules, covers and dentelles with triple gilt rules and corner tools, marbled endpapers. Engraved frontispiece portrait. 32 engraved paleographic plates (9 with hand coloring), by Pouncey. Overall a very good copy of the rare large paper issue, some offsetting from plates and minor scattered foxing, otherwise internally crisp and bright, the large unfolded plates impressive.

Thomas Astle (1753-1803), the eminent English antiquary and paleographer, was appointed Keeper of the Records in the Tower of London in 1783 and was involved in the preparation of the Catalogue of the Harleian Manuscripts at the British Museum. The Origin and Progress of Writing is his chief work, and "an important contribution to the English literature on paleography." (DNB) Bigmore & Wyman, I, 20.

Provenance: Dawson Turner (his sale, 1859); William Gott (his armorial bookplate); John A. Haywood, his signature, dated Khartoum, Sudan, 1953, also with Arabic, Hebrew and Devanagari characters.

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Price: $2,500
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