Comparative Meltonians, As they are, and as they were… [&] Hunting, or Six Hours' Sport, by Three Real Good Ones… [&] Shooting, or One Day's Sport of Three real good One's…

London: Thomas M'Lean, Repository of Wit and Humour, 1823. Newcomers to the Meltonian Hunt who Dress like Dandies and have no Thought for their Horses
"A Very Rare Series, Amongst the Largest and Finest of Alken's Plates." (Tooley)

ALKEN, Henry. Comparative Meltonians, As they are, and as they were… By Ben Tally-Ho. London: Thomas M'Lean, Repository of Wit and Humour, 1823.

[together with]

ALKEN, Henry. Hunting, or Six Hours' Sport, by Three Real Good Ones, from the East End, and without seeing a Hound. London: Thomas M'Lean, Repository of Wit and Humour, 1823.

[together with]

ALKEN, Henry. (truncated) Shooting, or One Day's Sport of Three real good One's, However ignorant of Sporting Rules. London: Thomas M'Lean, Repository of Wit and Humour, 1823.

Three Exceptionally Rare First editions. Oblong folio (13 1/4 x 16 15/16 inches; 336 x 431 mm.). Printed title-page to Comparative Meltonians and eighteen magnificent hand colored plates aquatinted by G. Hunt. Each plate numbered in top right corner and with imprint "London, Published by Thos. McLean. Repository of Wit & Humour: 26 Haymarket, 1823." in lower margin.

All plates expertly inlaid to larger sheets (13 1/4 x 16 15/16 inches; 336 x 431 mm.).
Actual plate sizes average 11 1/2 x 13 inches; 292 x 330 mm.).

Handsomely bound by Rivière & Son ca. 1900 in full red morocco, covers decoratively borders in gilt, front cover lettered in gilt. Spine with six raised bands, elaborately decorated and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt ruled board-edges, gilt decorated turn-ins, green watrered silk liners and endleaves, all edges gilt. Joints expertly and almost invisibly repaired. Engraved bookplate of celebrated collector Ernest G Mocatta on front blank. Some occasional very light and mainly marginal foxing

"Original Issues. Excessively Rare. A complete set of these magnificent colored aquatints, which are among the largest and most brilliant of all Alken plates. Owing to their beauty many copies were broken up and the plates framed, with the result that few copies are found with the complete series." (Dixon Sale, January 1937).

"A very rare series, amongst the largest and finest of Alken's plates." (Tooley).

Comparative Meltonians, As they are, and as they were… By Ben Tally-Ho. London: Thomas M'Lean, Repository of Wit and Humour, 1823.

The Plates:

1. "A Meltonian, as he was. Going to Cover…… Steady, Steady, my pretty fellow, plenty of time."
2. "A Meltonian, as he is. Going to Cover……Along, Along, rot your crawling, am I to be all day getting there?"
3. "Gone away, a Meltonian as he us'd to be. Forward, Forward,……Thank you my good Friend."
4. "Gone away, a Meltonian, as he is. Cu's me fell'er but you will git hurt one day if you git so much in the way."
5. "Going home, Meltonians as they were. The Grey has carried you in excellent style to day."
6. "Going home, Meltonians as they are. By the living George…B…it is all up."

"One of Alken's most brilliantly colored hunting sets and one which is very rarely found in it's original printed wrapper'" (Schwerdt). The very large and 'magnificently colored plates' contrast riders as they were, in steadfastly correct dress and with genuine consideration for the good of their horses, with the excessive zeal of riders as they are, in other words newcomers to the Meltonian hunt who dress like dandies and have no thought for their horses. The motto on the front wrapper and the title-page reads: 'All alike good,---but time makes strange alterations," while the plate captions emphasize the difference in approach between the two social groups.

Hunting or Six Hours' Sport by Three Real Good Ones from the East End. London: Thos. McLean, 1823.

A Series of six plates, each marked, "Hunting, or Six Hour's Sport." Hy. Alken Delt. London Published by Thos. McLean Repository of Wit & Humour, 26 Haymarket. 1823. Not in the celebrated Dixon sale of 1937.

The Plates:

1. "Going to Hunt...8 o'clock...an Easy Job."
2. "Throwing off...9 o'clock...not so Easy."
3. "Breaking Cover...10 o'clock...Rather difficult."
4. "In full Cry...11 o'clock...Hard Work."
5. "A Check...12 o'clock...Tipping for the Swine."
6. "Going Home...making a good Blunt...Apology for damage done."

A series of six fine animated plates showing the misfortunes of three cockney huntsmen who begin their day at 8 o’clock, find difficulty in staying mounted at 9 o’clock, get hopelessly entangled with fences and trees by 10, then charge into a herd of pigs at 11, for which the local villagers exact a heavy fee by 12

Shooting, or One Day’s Sport or Three Real Good One’s. However Ignorant of Sporting Rules. London: Thomas M'Lean, 1823.

A Series of six plates, each marked, "One Day's Sport of Three real good Ones." Hy. Alken Delt. London Published by Thos. McLean Repository of Wit & Humour, 26 Haymarket. 1823.

The Plates:

1. "Turning off." (Watermarked J. Whatman 1822)
2. "1st Shot at Game...no luck."
3. "Sport, _ and something like Sport; _ The Johnny Raws coming down."
4. "A regular Set too _ Tipping the Johnny Raws a few London tactics."
5. "Numbers will beat Science _ the Corinthians bearing the brunt." (Watermarked J. Whatman 1822)
6. "The Corinthians making it up...by showing the Johnny Raws _ how to Grog it."

A series of six fine hand-colored plates narrating the adventures of three cockneys, or ‘Corinthians,’ at large with guns and dogs in the deeply rural countryside. In the first plate a guard dog is seen being released from its customary chain, while a musket is rested in the legs of a squatting poodle, and a diminutive mongrel pants in expectation. In plate two Men and dogs react over-excitedly to the sight of a running hare, and in the third & fourth plates, having next targeted a tame herd of geese they become involved in a broil with local villagers or ‘Johnny Raws’. In the fifth & sixth plates remuneration is exacted for the dead geese and a featherless chicken, but since it is spent on toasts in the local pub everyone’s day ends happily.

Bobins IV, 1375, Bobins II, 756 & 757; Dixon, 53, & 73; Mellon/Snelgrove 18, 17 & 49; Schwerdt I, pp. 13, 16 & 21; Siltzer, pp. 60, 71; Tooley 23, 32 & 49. (Inventory #: 06069)