Rasselas

London: Hector M’Lean, 1819. Hardcover. Very Good. 4to (256 x 205mm). [iii], 197pp. Engraved frontispiece and three engraved plates by Abraham Raimbach (1776-1843) done from paintings by Robert Smirke (1743-1845). Bound in full green straight-grain morocco with period tooling of lozenge around the covers in gilt and blind, spine lettered and stamped in gilt in compartments, all edges gilt; (somewhat foxed, mainly to margins, uniformly toned, hingel plitting at front; edges rubbed, joints weak). Samuel Johnson wrote Rasselas during the evenings of one week in 1759 to pay for his mother’s funeral and settle her outstanding debts. The novel explores and exposes the vanity of the human search for happiness. In it, Rasselas, prince of Abyssinia, goes to Egypt with his sister Nekayah, her attendant Pekuah and the philosopher Imlac, in order to study the various conditions of men’s lives. In their encounters, they meet with scholars, astronomers, shepherds, hermits, and poets, become disillusioned, and then go home. The novel was an immediate success undergoing 43 English-language editions by the end of the eighteenth century as well as translations into French (1760), German (1762) and Italian (1791). Smirke’s prolific output included several paintings on literary themes, most notably on Shakespeare but also, for example, on the Arabian Nights and Don Quixote. He often produced his work in small format to facilitate its reproduction as engravings. Courthey & Smith p. 90. Because of binding condition, sold as is.