R. Dagley - Death's Doings - 1828-1828

Richard Dagley – Death’s Doings
Two volumes bound in one – Second enlarged edition – London, 1828

An interesting early 19th-century illustrated edition of Richard Dagley’s “Death’s Doings”, combining two volumes in a single binding.

This is the second, enlarged edition, published in London in 1828. The work comprises approximately 472 pages and combines poetry and prose with numerous smaller illustrations throughout the text as well as a series of full-page engraved plates.

Death’s Doings is devoted to the themes of death, mortality and the transience of human life. Death appears repeatedly as a personified figure in scenes ranging from serious and moralising to satirical and darkly humorous. The illustrations provide a fascinating example of the British Romantic-era fascination with mortality and the traditional Memento Mori theme.

The volume contains contributions by various writers and is richly illustrated. Among the subjects shown are “Death and the Poet,” “Death: A Dramatic Scene,” “Death, the Sailor, and the Fool,” and other allegorical scenes in which Death encounters people from different walks of life.

According to the accompanying bibliographical note, the expanded 1828 edition was issued with 30 full-page illustrated plates.

Two plates, nos. 10 and 27, are absent from the present copy.

Importantly, there are no apparent signs that these plates have been torn or forcibly removed from this volume; they are simply not present in the book.
A particularly attractive feature is the historic engraved armorial bookplate (ex libris) mounted inside the front cover. The endpapers also bear several old handwritten bibliographical and ownership annotations, adding to the historical character and provenance of this particular copy.

The book is preserved in an attractive period binding with marbled paper-covered boards and leather elements, showing the expected wear of a book approaching 200 years of age.

Bibliographical details
Author: Richard Dagley
Title: Death’s Doings
Edition: Second, enlarged edition
Place and year: London, 1828
Volumes: 2 volumes bound in 1
Pagination: approx. 472 pages
Illustrations: numerous smaller text illustrations and originally 30 full-page illustrated plates
Missing: plates nos. 10 and 27

Additional feature: historic engraved armorial ex libris inside the front cover

Condition
Antiquarian condition with clear age-related wear. The binding shows rubbing and wear, particularly along the edges, corners and spine. The pages display age-related toning, foxing and occasional staining, in places more pronounced. Minor edge wear and other traces of use consistent with the age of the volume are present.

Plates nos. 10 and 27 are absent. No obvious traces of these plates having been torn from the binding are visible.

The old handwritten annotations and historic armorial bookplate have been preserved and form part of the history of the volume.

Please study the photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the condition description.
A characterful and highly decorative early 19th-century illustrated work, particularly interesting for collectors of antiquarian books, British illustration, Memento Mori imagery, allegorical representations of Death and Romantic-era literature.