Doctor Birch and His Young Friends
London: Chapman and Hall, 1849. Sixteen hand-colored plates (including engraved title page), illustrated by Thackeray. First edition, first printing. Three-quarter crushed red morocco, gilt-ruled over light red cloth, with matching cloth endpapers, spine compartments decorated in gilt and black florals, teg. Small quarto. [iv], 49, [1]. Lacking advertisements. 7" x 5.5" Gentle rubbing/wear to extremities, spine toned a shade, mild foxing to original wrappers, overall fine. A clean, vibrantly illustrated copy. Item #236307
NOT DR. BIRCH'S FRIEND
William Thackeray (1811-1863) spent his childhood in English boys' schools, despising and eventually parodying the experience in works like Doctor Birch and His Young Friends. The third of his five 'Christmas books' published under the pseudonym Mr. M. A. Titmarsh, Doctor Birch exhibits Thackeray's mastery of satire and caricature of the upper class. He captures every useless headmaster in Dr. Birch's character and the devastating moments of learning useless, heady grammar, madly thumping the book and dampening the pages with tears.
This copy is a beautiful contemporary rebind, featuring vibrantly hand-colored illustrations, a very clean interior, and preserving the original wrappers in rear. Join Thackeray as he critiques the English upper class in both word and sketch.
[Van Duzer, 51].
Price: $285.00