Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1861. Seventh Edition. Finely bound by Sotheran in full crushed red morocco with inlaid morocco illustrations on the spine (in four compartments) and both boards. Green silk end-papers, all edges gilt. Original cloth for the front board and the spine bound in at the rear. Binding in Near Fine condition with front joint just starting near the crown. A striking example, finely bound.

A collection of parodied ballads and poems from a variety of languages and cultures, pulled together in a beautiful fine binding. First printed in 1845, it was a project compiled by Scottish writers William Edmounstone Aytoun and Theodore Martin. In the fashion of Rabelais, the pair operated under a pen name to conduct light literary take-downs of such famed authors as Tennyson and Browning, who were known for emphasis on romantic, chivalric, and flowery topics. Irreverent poetry at its best. Near Fine (Item #4591)