Pompeiana: the typography, edifices and ornaments of Pompei

London: Bodwell and Martin, 1819. Gell, William (1777-1836) and John Peter Gandy (1787-1850). Pompeiana: The topography, edifices, and ornaments of Pompeii. [iii] – xxxi, [1], 273, [3]pp. 80 engraved plates, including frontispiece, one plate hand-colored; text illustrations. London: Rodwell and Martin, 1817-19. 233 x 145 mm. Diced calf gilt ca. 1819, rebacked preserving original spine. Occasional mild foxing but very good. 19th-century ownership signature (“Thomas Wright”) on the title and front flyleaf. First Edition of the first definitive work on Pompeii in English, by the British classical archeologist William Gell in collaboration with British architect (truncated) J. P. Gandy. “Despite the importance of Pompeii, and the fact that excavations had been going on for half a century, no authoritative account of the site was presented to English readers until 1817 when Gell published Pompeiana . . . Gell prepared the illustrations for Pompeiana on site with the camera lucida, an instrument that enabled the draftsman to trace an image onto paper, thereby controlling scale and dimension. John Peter Gandy, who had accompanied Gell on the Ionian Expedition, wrote most of the text but with reliance on Gell’s research. Pompeiana was beautifully printed and heavily illustrated with high-quality engravings and numerous vignettes, mostly from Gell’s drawings. Gandy did his literary work well but Pompeiana’s value lies primarily in its illustrations, which are organized topographically so that the reader seems to stroll down a Pompeian street, looking into various houses along the way . . . Besides being a scholarly landmark, Pompeiana provided a rich source for the decorative arts at a time when classical motifs were much in vogue” (J. Thompson, Queen Caroline and Sir William Gell: A Study in Royal Patronage and Classical Scholarship, pp. 58-59). . 850. (Inventory #: 42528)