Points of Humour
London: Printed by C. Baldwyn, 1823. Item #06716
Brainsmiles By Cruikshank
Twenty Hand-Colored Plates
[CRUIKSHANK, George, illustrator]. Points of Humour; [Part I] & Part II Illustrated by the Designs of George Cruikshank. London: Printed by C. Baldwyn, 1823 [& 1824].
First edition. Two parts bound in one. Octavo (9 3/4 x 6 inches; 247 x 152 mm.). [2], iii-vi, [7], 8-48; [vi], [1, adverts], [1, blank], [1]-56 pp.
Twenty full-page hand-colored woodcut illustrations with tissue guards, and twenty woodcut illustrations within the text. First issue of Part II with the last line of page 5 ending with the words "and did."
Bound by Zaehnsdorf ca. 1920 in full red calf, covers triple ruled in gilt. Slight fading to covers. Spine with five shallow raised bands decoratively tooled in gilt in compartments, two red morocco labels lettered in gilt, gilt-ruled board edges, decorative gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, others uncut. Some occasional light foxing to text but still a very fine uncut copy.
A delightful collection of comic anecdotes, jests, and curious incidents assembled by Henry Southern, each accompanied by one of Cruikshank's spirited designs. Although the text itself is largely forgotten today, the illustrations remain among the most appealing examples of Cruikshank's early wood-engraved work. Michael Wynn Jones aptly described the plates as "little masterpieces of comic illustration," noting that they function as self-contained comic scenes - burlesque, miniature situation-comedies that instantly convey their humor through Cruikshank's extraordinary powers of observation and caricature.
The hand-colored plates are particularly attractive and were considerably more expensive than the ordinary issue. Copies retaining all twenty plates in contemporary color, especially in such fresh condition and with the text left uncut, are increasingly difficult to find. The work was sufficiently popular to be reissued by Robins in 1835, testimony to the enduring appeal of Cruikshank's visual humor.
The work enjoyed immediate success, being almost sold out shortly after publication. As Wynn Jones observed, these "little masterpieces of comic illustration instantly caught the public fancy."
The principal importance of Points of Humour lies in its role as an early and highly successful vehicle for the dissemination of Cruikshank's designs. For several years the publisher Charles Baldwyn had issued collections of anecdotes and humorous texts largely as frameworks for illustrated plates, among them Italian Tales of Humour, Gallantry and Romance and Points of Misery. Here the balance is unmistakably in favor of the illustrations, the text serving chiefly as a setting for some of Cruikshank's most engaging early comic inventions. The success of the venture was such that George's brother, Robert Cruikshank, soon followed with a publication of similar character.
Particularly interesting is the survival of the publisher's advertisement in which Cruikshank publicly protested the increasingly common misuse of his name in contemporary advertising. Readers were cautioned that George Cruikshank "has no connection with any publications to which his Christian name is not affixed," and that all works for which he supplied designs would be advertised with his full name. The notice provides an early indication of the artist's growing celebrity and of the commercial value already attached to the Cruikshank name.
Cohn 176; Wynn Jones. George Cruikshank: His Life and London.
Price: $1,750.00