DARTON, WILLIAM [PUBLISHER].: The Book of Trades with Twenty-four Coloured Plates.


London, William Darton, circa 1830.

12mo, pp 12, title from upper wrapper, 12 plates each with 2 images making 24 all together, all hand-coloured, and illustrating different trades, sewn in original stiff cream printed wrappers, lightly soiled, a good copy, FIRST EDITION, apparently the sole printing of this extremely rare book of trades; Darton was here in competition with other similar publications, including his own, although by pricing at one shilling his was probably the cheapest. The twenty four illustrations represent an interesting selection of professions from everyday commercial and working-class life of the Georgian period, including engraver, bookseller, auctioneer, watchmaker, tea dealer. The accompanying text is concise and in prose. In 1814 Harvey and Darton published a similar work called Little Jack of all Trades which is quite distinct from ours in any edition, with neither illustration nor text bearing any relation. It has been suggested that books of trades were in some way aspirational texts for boys, but the presence of the 'slop seller' [i.e. second hand clothes] in this selection rather suggests the opposite. £350.00