leather bound book

Any idea of a date for this copy

 

The earliest reference to it on the internet that I can find is 1813.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Milner_(bishop)

Debora

 

If you can give the names printed under the engravings. it may be possible to identify the engravers. It's not a thing of consequence: most likely just journeyman engravers of the day. For instance: there's a James Hopwood the elder (1740s-1819), and James Hopwood the younger (1795-1855). The younger (according to Wikipedia) did stipple engravings. Neither is particularly known, but they are recorded

 

The J.G. Barnard dates are 1798-1825.

Debora

 

Thanks, Debora that's a big help..

 

would the engraving date be contemporary with the books date?

 

@Ex Libris
@2manybooks

 

Not necessarily. They could be re-strikes of previously published plates. Although... when that happens the original date is frequently erased before printing.

 

The book looks first quarter 19th century to me.

This is an advertisement of the book in the London chronicle of 1809:





https://www.google.nl/books/edition...YAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA85&printsec=frontcover

 

That ad from @Ex Libris says "proof plates", which I take to mean the engraved plates were done specifically for this book. So a date on those prints would be the date of their completion. I don't know how that relates to the publishing date of the book, but I doubt there would be much of a gap.

 

Thanks that's very helpful..

 

Since the advertisement for the original printing and the etchings show the old spellings and font and the one you have is a more modern font I'm guessing it might be a later 19th century reprint.

 

Don't know what is meant specifically by "old spellings" but no reason that the newspaper The London Chronicle, the publisher B. Crosby and Co. and its printer J.G. Ballard would be using the same font at any time. A commercial and aesthetic decision.

Debora