PYNE, WILLIAM | The History of the Royal Residences of Windsor Castle, St. James's Palace, Carlton House, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court, Buckingham House, and Frogmore. London: Printed for A. Dry, 1819 [watermarked 1812 and 1816]

PYNE, WILLIAM

The History of the Royal Residences of Windsor Castle, St. James's Palace, Carlton House, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court, Buckingham House, and Frogmore. London: Printed for A. Dry, 1819 [watermarked 1812 and 1816]

3 volumes, 4to (13 3/4 x 11 in.; 335 x 280mm). Half-titles, 100 richly handcolored aquatint plates after C. Wild, J. Stephanoff, R. Cattermole, W. Westall and G. Samuel, engraved by T. Sutherland, W. J. Bennett, R. Reeve, D. Havell, and J. Bailey; occasional spotting to text leaves, some offsetting of plates on to text, some toning. Modern full red crushed morocco, covers with multiple gilt rules, spines with raised bands in six compartments, second and third gilt lettered, others with repeat decoration in gilt, inner dentelles elaborately gilt, marbled endpapers, edges gilt.  

First edition,

The present copy represent an early issue, with one plate watermarked 1812 and 12 watermarked 1816. One of Ackermann's most important collaborators, William Henry Pyne "became connected with Ackermann about 1803, and came by degrees to occupy himself more with writing than painting, providing the text or part of it for many of Ackermann's publications. It is not perhaps surprising that, being himself designer, painter, engraver and author, he should become enamoured of book production. His great effort in this direction was the large and costly work entitles 'The History of the Royal Residences ...' undoubtedly a very sumptuous book for which author, artist, engraver and publisher alike did their best" (Prideaux, pp. 142-43).

REFERENCES

Abbey, Scenery 396; Tooley 389