[Rarebooks] FS: Bickham's THE UNIVERSAL PENMAN; OR, THE ART OF WRITING MADE USEFUL TO THE GENTLEMAN AND SCHOLAR AS WELL AS THE MAN OF BUSINESS, 1743

[Charles Agvent]

One of many interesting new arrivals not yet listed on the internet but 
in our booth A-21 at the New York Book Fair, Park Avenue & 67th St, 
through Sunday.

BICKHAM, George. THE UNIVERSAL PENMAN; OR, THE ART OF WRITING MADE 
USEFUL TO THE GENTLEMAN AND SCHOLAR AS WELL AS THE MAN OF BUSINESS. 
London: H.Overton , 1743 . First Edition. Large Folio (10" x 16") bound 
in contemporary mottled calf with gilt rules on the covers and gilt 
decorations on the spine with a gilt-lettered morocco spine label. 
Complete with engraved frontispiece, two engraved title pages, and 212 
fine plates of artistic and ornamental calligraphy, many of which 
contain vignettes.Bookplates of John L. Brownlowe, Baron Charleville & 
Viscount Tyrconnel in the Kingdom of Ireland and of Belton House (Earl 
Brownlow) on the front pastedown. Also tipped in are some bookseller 
descriptions of other copies as well as information from the bookseller 
Francis Edwards who offered this copy in 1974. Three plates apparently 
supplied from another edition (142, 174 ,and 182) though very well done 
and not noticeable, occasional age staining, mainly to first and last 
leaves. Joints with some cracking but covers very tight. A Near Fine 
example of this lovely book.

George Bickham the Elder (1684–1758) was the finest calligraphic 
engraver of his day. He was also an excellent penman, as 18 of these 
plates show, but he employed 25 leading writing masters to compose the 
bulk of this, his best known work, a collection of writing exemplars 
which helped to popularize the English Round Hand script in the 18th 
century. (#016456) $3,500.00

See an image here:

http://home.ptd.net/~chagvent/016456.jpg

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