Bulmer’s ‘History of the River Thames’, 1794

The period 1790-1820 has been called a golden age in the history of English typography, and William Bulmer was perhaps its chief protagonist. The books which he printed at the Shakspeare Press show superlative craftsmanship, and are not least remarkable for their types, cut by William Martin—transitional founts showing the influence of both Baskerville and Bodoni. The two-volume folio History of the River Thames, issued for J. & J. Boydell in 1796, was considered by Updike one of the finest books Bulmer ever printed’ .

Actual page size – 43cm x 32cm, printed on both sides. Mounted on grey board.

Original Leaf from a Famous European Book, each work with one-page letterpress index, the idea is that each leaf is mounted and subsequently framed to provide a unique wall decoration.

BOYDELL, John & Josiah (publishers) [COMBE, William] An History of the River Thames – W. Bulmer for Boydell, 1794.

First edition, earliest state with two title pages and aquatint wash borders. Two volumes. Folio (415x315mm). Contemporary tree calf with gilt ruled and ornamented borders to covers, Morocco title and volume labels and gilt bands to spine with gilt vignettes to spine compartments. Marbled endpapers and speckled edges. Dedication to George III and the Earl of Oxford. Seventy-six hand coloured aquatint plates with aquatint wash borders by J.C. Stadler after J. Farington three of which are double page, fold out engraved map in two sections (at the start of each volume).

One of the grandest and most important books on the Thames.

“Although not the first coloured aquatint book, [it] was the first major one, and it was to set an example for the type of illustration that was to enjoy widespread popularity in England for some forty years” – Bruntjen (John Boydell 1719-1804)Tooley (English Books with Coloured Plates 1790 to 1860) mentions that the “early impressions within aquatint borders [as here] are infinitely superior to the later pulls.”Includes views of Henley, Culham Court, Fawley Court, Park Place, Blenheim, Oxford, Windsor and Eton, Hampton Court and London.

This was an old fund-raising exercise perfected by the Folio Society

The Folio Society is a privately owned London-based publisher, founded by Charles Ede in 1947 and incorporated in 1971. It produces illustrated hardback editions of classic fiction and non-fiction books, poetry and children’s titles. Folio editions feature specially designed bindings and include artist-commissioned illustrations (most often in fiction titles) or researched artworks and photographs (in non-fiction titles). Most editions come with their own slipcase.

For many years the Folio Society had a bookshop in Holborn, London, but the bookshop closed in December 2016 when the company moved premises. Folio editions can be purchased only online through their website, by post or over the telephone. Some editions are stocked by independent bookstores, by Blackwell’s in Oxford, and by Selfridges, Harrods, and Hatchards in London.