An exceptionally scarce signed and numbered large-paper edition of Andrew W. Tuer’s The Follies & Fashions of Our Grandfathers (1807), published in London by Field & Tuer, The Leadenhall Press, in 1886–87. This example is No. 23 of only 250 large-paper copies produced and is signed “Field & Tuer” on the limitation page. Contemporary descriptions of this special issue specify that no additional review or presentation copies were produced.
Tuer’s richly illustrated work presents a lively portrait of British society and popular culture in the year 1807, drawing upon contemporary magazines and periodicals to document the dress, amusements, personalities, sporting pursuits, coaching scenes, and fashionable eccentricities of the Georgian era. The volume is illustrated with thirty-seven full-page plates, including ladies’ and gentlemen’s costume, fanciful prints, portraits of notable figures, and sporting subjects. The large-paper edition was specially produced using the earliest impressions of the plates, with costume illustrations carefully hand-colored and heightened with gold and silver.
This particular copy is especially handsome, having been rebound in full Oxford blue hard-grain morocco, with gilt ruling to the covers and spine, raised bands, gilt lettering, and gilt page edges. Importantly, the book’s two original embroidered labels and embroidered marker have been preserved, mounted and bound at the end of the volume—a noteworthy survival from the book’s unusual original presentation.
The binding displays age-appropriate wear, including rubbing and losses at the spine extremities and wear along the raised bands and edges, while retaining a distinguished presentation and strong gilt detailing. The limitation page remains clearly numbered No. 23 and signed Field & Tuer.
A compelling example of late-Victorian fine printing and book production, combining limited-edition rarity, hand-colored illustration, gold and silver embellishment, a signed limitation, and an elegant custom morocco binding. An excellent acquisition for a collection focused on rare books, fashion history, Georgian social history, illustrated works, or nineteenth-century printing.
Details: Andrew W. Tuer • The Follies & Fashions of Our Grandfathers (1807) • London: Field & Tuer, The Leadenhall Press • 1886–1887 • Large-Paper Edition • No. 23 of 250 • Signed “Field & Tuer” • 37 full-page plates • Hand-colored illustrations with gold and silver heightening • Full Oxford blue hard-grain morocco binding • Original embroidered labels and marker preserved.