first edition
by HEATH, William; [ALKEN, Henry]
London: Thomas McLean, 1824. One of the Scarcest of All 19th Century Color-Plate Books
One of Only Two Complete Copies Recorded (three with an incorrect attribution)
[HEATH, William]. [Mistakenly attributed to Henry Alken] Military Duties, Occurances &c. &c. [aka Marine And Military Views]. Collected and published by Thomas McLean. [London]: Thomas McLean 26 Haymarket, [ca. 1824].
One of the Scarcest of All 19th Century Color-Plate Books.
This unbelievably rare title is in fact illustrated by William Heath - for over one hundred years it has been mistakenly described as being by Henry Alken - but new research has discovered that the book is in fact illustrated by William Heath.
Quarto (10 1/4 x 7 in; 260 x 175 mm.). Title in manuscript as called for. Forty-three (of fifty-six) superbly hand-colored etched plates inlaid within a window cut from a leaf of gray paper with an elaborately engraved border surrounding the print. Title and captions in manuscript. Interleaved with J. Whatman paper. Image size: 3 1/8 x 4 3/4 inches (113 x 79 mm) for etchings 1-40; 3 5/8 x 5 3/4 inches (91 x 147 mm), etchings 41-56.
Contemporary full emerald-green straight-grain morocco. Blind-tooled border within French fillets. Central panel with gilt ruled borders and ornamented corners. Spine with four shallow raised bands, decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt boards edges and turn-ins, gray endpapers, all edges gilt. Expertly and almost invisibly re-backed with the original spine laid down. Chemised within a quarter dark green morocco slipcase, spine with five raised bands, lettered in gilt in compartments. Again mistakenly attributed to Henry Alken.
The missing plates have long ago been neatly removed, or have fallen out (due to brittle glue), from their frames. The remaining plates are as clean and fresh as one could hope for. An excellent example of one of the scarcest of all 19th century color-plate books.
Only one copy has come to auction within the last thirty-five years; it, too, incomplete. OCLC/KVK note only one copy in institutional holdings, at Yale; it is, apparently the only complete copy to be recorded, presumably the same copy noted by Abbey as being sold in 1907. The only other copy to come under Abbey's notice was incomplete (lacking one plate). This, then, is only the fifth copy to be recorded.
We sold (the second complete copy known) in 2020 which is now in a private collection in the US.
William Heath (1795-1840) was a British artist who once described himself as a "portrait & military painter." He was best known for his published engravings which included caricatures, political cartoons, and commentary on contemporary life. His early works often dealt with military scenes, including color plates for Historical Military and Naval Anecdotes (1815); The Martial Achievements of Great Britain and her Allies (1815); The Wars of Wellington (1819); and The Life of a Soldier (1823). From about 1820 on he focused on satire.
The Plates:
Military Duties, Occurances &c. &c.
Numbered 1-40 as per Abbey:
4. The General's Tent (frontispiece)
3. The Muster
1. Salute
5. Relief
17. Fording a River
9. An Ambuscade
7. Flying Artillery
8. The Forelorn Hope
34. The Stable
25. The Spy
22. Dispute
31. Refreshment
27. Truce
24. Skirmish
32. Mamalukes
26. The Out Post
20. A Bivouac
40. Death of the Young Count Platoff
39. Circassian Prisoners
12. A Tartar Camp
15. Death of Ponitawski
29. The March
36. Retreat
10. The Ferry
6. The Barrack Yard
33. American Bushmen
14. Baggage
23. Vidette
37. Plunder
38. Russian Couriers
Missing plates (fallen out of mounts)
2. The Call
11. The Gazette
13. Guerilla Party
16. Halt
18. The Action
19. Punishment
21. Storming the Entrenchments
28. Prisoners
30. The Last Duty
35. Humanity
Foreign Military Costume. Plate numbers 41-56.
Plates 41- 56 [Foreign Military Costume] but untitled, as noted by Abbey "All plates of military incidents without titles; space previously occupied by the panel for a title included in the engraved surface, which is larger than in plates 1 - 40."
The three plates lacking from numbers 41-56 are unknown; they were not issued with a title.
Abbey, Life 349; Bobins II, 341; Index to British Military Costume Prints 1500-1914, 41. (All incorrectly attributed to Henry Alken). (Inventory #: 05891)
One of Only Two Complete Copies Recorded (three with an incorrect attribution)
[HEATH, William]. [Mistakenly attributed to Henry Alken] Military Duties, Occurances &c. &c. [aka Marine And Military Views]. Collected and published by Thomas McLean. [London]: Thomas McLean 26 Haymarket, [ca. 1824].
One of the Scarcest of All 19th Century Color-Plate Books.
This unbelievably rare title is in fact illustrated by William Heath - for over one hundred years it has been mistakenly described as being by Henry Alken - but new research has discovered that the book is in fact illustrated by William Heath.
Quarto (10 1/4 x 7 in; 260 x 175 mm.). Title in manuscript as called for. Forty-three (of fifty-six) superbly hand-colored etched plates inlaid within a window cut from a leaf of gray paper with an elaborately engraved border surrounding the print. Title and captions in manuscript. Interleaved with J. Whatman paper. Image size: 3 1/8 x 4 3/4 inches (113 x 79 mm) for etchings 1-40; 3 5/8 x 5 3/4 inches (91 x 147 mm), etchings 41-56.
Contemporary full emerald-green straight-grain morocco. Blind-tooled border within French fillets. Central panel with gilt ruled borders and ornamented corners. Spine with four shallow raised bands, decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt boards edges and turn-ins, gray endpapers, all edges gilt. Expertly and almost invisibly re-backed with the original spine laid down. Chemised within a quarter dark green morocco slipcase, spine with five raised bands, lettered in gilt in compartments. Again mistakenly attributed to Henry Alken.
The missing plates have long ago been neatly removed, or have fallen out (due to brittle glue), from their frames. The remaining plates are as clean and fresh as one could hope for. An excellent example of one of the scarcest of all 19th century color-plate books.
Only one copy has come to auction within the last thirty-five years; it, too, incomplete. OCLC/KVK note only one copy in institutional holdings, at Yale; it is, apparently the only complete copy to be recorded, presumably the same copy noted by Abbey as being sold in 1907. The only other copy to come under Abbey's notice was incomplete (lacking one plate). This, then, is only the fifth copy to be recorded.
We sold (the second complete copy known) in 2020 which is now in a private collection in the US.
William Heath (1795-1840) was a British artist who once described himself as a "portrait & military painter." He was best known for his published engravings which included caricatures, political cartoons, and commentary on contemporary life. His early works often dealt with military scenes, including color plates for Historical Military and Naval Anecdotes (1815); The Martial Achievements of Great Britain and her Allies (1815); The Wars of Wellington (1819); and The Life of a Soldier (1823). From about 1820 on he focused on satire.
The Plates:
Military Duties, Occurances &c. &c.
Numbered 1-40 as per Abbey:
4. The General's Tent (frontispiece)
3. The Muster
1. Salute
5. Relief
17. Fording a River
9. An Ambuscade
7. Flying Artillery
8. The Forelorn Hope
34. The Stable
25. The Spy
22. Dispute
31. Refreshment
27. Truce
24. Skirmish
32. Mamalukes
26. The Out Post
20. A Bivouac
40. Death of the Young Count Platoff
39. Circassian Prisoners
12. A Tartar Camp
15. Death of Ponitawski
29. The March
36. Retreat
10. The Ferry
6. The Barrack Yard
33. American Bushmen
14. Baggage
23. Vidette
37. Plunder
38. Russian Couriers
Missing plates (fallen out of mounts)
2. The Call
11. The Gazette
13. Guerilla Party
16. Halt
18. The Action
19. Punishment
21. Storming the Entrenchments
28. Prisoners
30. The Last Duty
35. Humanity
Foreign Military Costume. Plate numbers 41-56.
Plates 41- 56 [Foreign Military Costume] but untitled, as noted by Abbey "All plates of military incidents without titles; space previously occupied by the panel for a title included in the engraved surface, which is larger than in plates 1 - 40."
The three plates lacking from numbers 41-56 are unknown; they were not issued with a title.
Abbey, Life 349; Bobins II, 341; Index to British Military Costume Prints 1500-1914, 41. (All incorrectly attributed to Henry Alken). (Inventory #: 05891)