Modern Athens. Displayed in a Series of Views, or Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century; Exhibiting the Whole of the New Buildings, Modern Improvements, Antiquities & Picturesque Scenery, of the Scottish Metropolis & Its Environs: From Original Drawings by Mr. Thomas. H. Shepherd. With Historical Topographical & Critical Illustrations

London: Jones & Co. Temple of the Muses, 1829. First Edition. Hardcover. Good. vi, 88, [1] p. + engravings. 28 cm. Two engravings on frontispiece plate, two title page vignettes, and 99 engravings on 50 plates in rear section. Half burgundy leather with marbled paper boards. Front hinge and corners repaired. Boards rubbed and edges worn. Ink inscriptions on front free endpaper. Foxing and thumbing. Tissue covers in rear section mostly present and intact.

Thomas Hosmer Shepherd (1792–1864) was a watercolour artist well known for his architectural depictions. His paintings were the basis for steel engravings in many books like this one. Shepherd's work is characterized by an attention to detail and lifelike scenes that contain people, carriages, and horses. His scenes of Edinburgh, therefore, show patrons entering the Hunterian Museum, horses and carts at the vegetable and fish market, and soldiers in front of the castle. Note the unusual name of the publishing house. Bookseller James Lackington had a store in Finsbury Square named Temple of the Muses in the late 18th century. The shop had a frontage of 140 feet and was one of the sights of London. On top of the building was a dome with a flagpole, which flew a flag when Mr. Lackington was in residence, rather as though he was the king. And the king of booksellers he undoubtedly was, becoming the pioneer of remaindering and earning a profit of £5,000 in 1793. Later, in the early 1800s, the bookstore was sold to Jones and Company for distribution of their books and other works. Sadly, this remarkable edifice burned down in 1841.