A Trip to Paris in July & August 1792. With a Preface by Henry Morris and wood engravings by Wesley Bates.
Newtown: Bird & Bull Press, L'An CCXX [2012]. One of 120 copies. Four wood engravings in text, two mounted photographic reproductions, and facsimile title-page. Printed on Arches laid paper, with decoration in red and blue. A fine copy, with original prospectus laid in. Quarter crimson morocco over dark blue Japanese cloth boards, front cover and spine stamped in gilt. Octavo. 82, [4] pp. Item #15658
"Richard Twiss (1747-1821) was an 18th century travel writer of some reknown. He went out of his way to stir up controversy as the resulting publicity increased the sale of his books. His second book, A Tour of Ireland in 1775, full of disparaging remarks, sneers and ridicule, earned him universal dislike in that country, but made the book a best-seller. Irish anger was visibly expressed by the production and sale of thousands of chamberpots ("Twiss-pots") with a picture of Twiss printed on the bottom. "In 1793 he published A Trip to Paris in July and August, 1792, which is the basis for the present book. Twiss' tendency to be overly-critical appears here and there in the Paris book, but alongside the mundane details of transport, sight-seeing, food and lodging and currency exchange, which all travelers want to know, he is on the ground reporting the bloody events of a violent revolution in progress…" (Henry Morris).
Price: $450.00