THE BOOK OF NONSENSE. Hand coloured copy. LEAR, Edward. tick

17th EDITION (stated on title page) circa 1866 (date on dedication page, no later titles on lower cover) small oblong 4to, 135 x 208 mm, 5¼ x 8¼ inches, plain red pebbled cloth spine, yellow boards, red ruled border, title and author on upper cover on red banner, coloured illustration repeating title page: a jolly man presents our book to 7 excited children, publisher's adverts to lower cover, pages: (2), 1-111, (2). Reprint of enlarged 3rd edition (1861, 43 extra drawings), engraved by the Dalziels and printed at the Camden Press. HAND COLOURED TITLE PAGE AND 112 HAND COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS with limerick beneath. Expertly recased and rebacked, original spine and endpapers retained, spine slightly discoloured and rubbed, corners and board edges worn, a few light scratches and tiny scrapes to covers, 5 early handwritten limericks and 2 small drawings in ink on front endpapers with a couple of smudges, 3 word pale inscription on Dedication page, small repair on reverse of title page to lower inner margin, a couple of tiny smudges on page 22, pinhole to margin of 2 pages, minute tip of 1 lower and 1 upper corner missing (margin only), 1 plate has slight loss to inner margin, now reinserted on a tab, 1 tiny chip to lower inner edge of page 106, very occasional pale fingermark and a few tiny pale spots. Generally very clean and bright. A very good copy. Hand coloured copies are uncommon. Routledge, Warne & Routledge published the 16th edition circa 1865 of which some copies were hand coloured. Warne set up on his own July 1 1865 and this 17th edition must have been one of his earliest publications. The price is stated on the cover: "3/6 or with the Plates fully Coloured Price 6s.". Osborne I,69-70; Vivien Noakes page 169, No. 76. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE. FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.