Item 24B - ‘Frontispieceana’, Vol. 2: engravings, woodcuts, etc., mainly from books, 16th–19th c.

1 volume (34 x 26 cm), containing 218 leaves and 15 loose sheets. The rectos of most of the leaves, and a few versos, have printed leaves or cuttings pasted to them. Folios 56, 73, 76, 88–91, and 148 are leaves from printed books, bound in. A fragment of a print (not listed) is inserted loose after f. 186. Half-bound.

See Crewe MS 24A. The date on the title-page of this volume is 1819. The armorial bookplate of Robert, Earl of Crewe, is pasted above that of Ford. Some of the smaller items on ff. 177–85 have the name ‘Mason’ written on them in pencil. Traces of prints removed from the book at some time appear on ff. 51r, 96r, 97r, 98r, 103r, 107r, 111r, 112r, 113r, 116r, 154r, and 168r.

Nearly all the title-pages in this book are decorated with some illustration or device, but in the descriptions of them the term ‘engraved title-page’ has been reserved for those which are entirely engraved. These were often issued in addition to a title-page in letterpress. The term ‘frontispiece’ has been used for illustrations which contain no more information about the book as a whole than a title or series title, though some later examples are subscribed with printing details relating to the page alone. Unless otherwise indicated the dates and places of publication supplied are those of the whole work from which the item in question was removed. Publishers have only been identified in the case of works either frequently printed or not fully identified.