THE DIVERTING HISTORY OF JOHN GILPIN Shewing how he went farther than he intended, and came home safe again. ( Cover title: The History of Johnny Gilpin ) by ( COWPER, William ).:

(London: Published by J. L. Marks, 91, Long Lane, Smithfield) circa 1820-1840.. MARKS'S EDITION" at head of first page, imprint from British Library copy, circa 1820-1840, 8vo, 177 x 114 mm, 7 x 4 3/8 inches, LACKING ORIGINAL PRINTED WRAPPERS, later but old blue paper wrappers, with pink paper spine and pink paper label with handwritten title taken from first page, 8 pages printed on 1 side only, the first and last glued onto the inside of the wrappers as issued originally, each page has a large brightly hand coloured illustration with 4 line verses below. Wrappers worn and a little wrinkled, part of pink spine split, tiny crease to corners throughout, small light brown stain to inner lower corner of pages 1 and 2, neat early name in margin of page 2, small closed tear to inner margin of page 8 just affecting text and edge of image, neatly repaired with no loss, another small repair to background of same image, again no loss. A good plus copy of a rare item (lacking original wraps as noted). 2 copies only located in the major UK libraries, 4 in US libraries on WorldCat, not listed in Osborne, Oppenheimer Catalogue or Gumuchian. According to the National Trust which holds a copy very similar to that in the British Library, the publisher is S. Marks and sons, 72, Houndsditch, Bishopsgate, [c.1840?]. Neither of these Marks publishers is listed in Osborne. An edition of Little Dame Crump by J. L. Marks has the same title block frame as our book on page 2 and an edition of the Bower of Knowledge has S. Marks and Sons 91 Long Lane and 80 Houndsditch on the title page and J. L. Marks on the lower cover. So it seems S. Marks and J. L. Marks is one and the same publishing house. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING.