Samuel Ireland / Cornelius Apostool - [PRINTBOOK / TRAVELBOOK in AQUATINT / SEPIA] A picturesque tour through Holland, Brabant, France - 1790

Samuel Ireland / Cornelius Apostool - A picturesque tour through Holland, Brabant, and part of France; made in the autumn of 1789: Illustrated with copper plates in aqua tinta from drawings on the spot

- London, T. & I. Egerton, 1790 - 2 parts in 2 volumes - first and only edition - (xiv) + 209 + (2) / (vi) + 213 pp. - original calf leather bindings with marbling and gold stamping, spine with ribs and gold stamping - 24 x 16 cm

Condition: very good - neat original bindings (slight crack in the front joints but firmly attached); very neat, compact and sturdy text blocks; very neat and clean pages (some plates missing and thereabout gaps between gatherings (with still 15 of 44 plates), in a small portion the usual browning, otherwise very neat and very clean paper!).

Very rare, valuable and sought-after work.
Equipped with the ex-libris of John Eyre.

Contains 15 beautiful copper engravings made in the distinctive and rare aquatint (sepia), executed by Cornelis Apostool from designs by Samuel Ireland.

Bound in luxurious leather bindings with gold stamping.
Beautifully marbled endpapers.
Printed on very thick/heavy quality paper!

Must-have for serious collectors of rare and extraordinary travel descriptions (of Northwestern Europe).

"One of the earliest descriptions with aquatint views of Dutch towns".
[Literature] Landwehr Col. plates 322]