1835
ABBOTSFORD, AND NEWSTEAD ABBY
BY WASHINGTON IRVING, AUTHOR OF "THE SCETCH-BOOK."
*****
* FIRST EDITION / FAMOUS AUTHOR *
PUBLISHED LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 1885
* VERY HANDSOME BOOK WITH LEATHER AND MARBLE *
* NICE BOOKPLATE FROM RICHARD HENRY TIDSWELL *
* PRICED TO SELL WITH NO RESERVE *
Nottinghamshire Folk Plays & Related Customs;
Brief description of Plough Monday at Newstead Abbey, Notts., and Christmas at Barlborough Hall, Derbys.
The Plough Monday "antics" included some sort of play, involving the recitation of "...the old ballad of St. George and the Dragon..." This was followed by "...a set of morrice dancers..." with Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Beelzebub, and Bessy. The description of Christmas at Barlborough Hall mentions the "Yule Clog" being put on the fire on Christmas Eve, the wassail bowl and the singing of carols. "We had mummers and mimers, too, with ballads and traditional dialogues, and the famous old interlude of the Hobby Horse..." According to his published letters, Irving stayed at Barlborough Hall at the end of 1831, making a day trip to Newstead Abbey on the 29th Oct.1831. This was followed in Jan.1832 with a stay of several weeks at Newstead Abbey. Irving returned to the U.S.A. in April 1832, and the miscellanies were first published in 1835.
Washington Irving (1783-1859)
American author, short story writer, essayist, poet, travel book writer, biographer, and columnist. Irving has been called the father of the American short story. He is best known for 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' in which the schoolmaster Ichabold Crane meets with a headless horseman, and 'Rip Van Winkle,' about a man who falls asleep for 20 years.
"I am always at a loss to know how much to believe of my own stories." (from Tales of a Traveler, 1824) Washington Irving was born in New York City as the youngest of 11 children. His father was a wealthy merchant, and his mother, an English woman, was the granddaughter of a clergyman. According to a story, George Washington met Irving, named after him, and gave his blessing. In the years to come Irving would write one of his greatest works, THE LIFE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON (1855-59).
Early in his life Irving developed a passion for books. He read Robinson Crusoe, Sinbad the Sailor, and The World Displyed (stories about voyages and travels). He studied law privately in the offices of Henry Masterton (1798), Brockholst Livingston (1801), and John Ogde Hoffman (1802), but practiced only briefly. From 1804 to 1806 he traveled widely Europe. Among his literary friends were Mary Shelly and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Irving spent the last years of his life in Tarrytown. From 1848 to 1859 he was President of Astor Library, later New York Public Library. Irving's major works were published in 1860-61 in 21 volumes.
DESCRIPTION:
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Book measures 7-1/2 tall by 5 inches wide covered with leather and pretty marble, gorgeous spine with gilt decorated panels and raised ribs. 290 clean pages with marbled top, side and bottom, very good binding and hinges. Leather on top front board has small tear as shown in photos. Prior owners name tag inside rear cover. Book is in very good condition.
Bookplate by Richard Henry Tidswell, Esq., J.P. co. Suffolk, Barrister-at-Law,
Born Dec. 27, 1848, being the second son of Robert Tidswell of Denmark Hill, London, by his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Ingham of Leeds.
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