John Gay — Fables

London, J. and R. Tonson and J. Watts, 1737. Leather. The illustrated fifth edition of the fables of John Gay, containing a total of fifty of his admired tales. Volume One only, of a total of two volumes.The fifth edition.The collected fables of John Gay, this volume containing a total of fifty tales. Illustrated with an engraved title, and engraved head-pieces to each fable.Fables in this volume include 'The Spaniel and the Chameleon', 'The Mother, the Nurse, and the Fairy', 'The Wild Boar and the Ram', 'The Lady and the Wasp', and more.Gay originally wrote fables for Prince William, the Duke of Cumberland, in 1727, and despite writing them for a royal, he wrote about the vanities of court honours.Illustrated by William Kent and John Wotton.Bookplate of Richard Luckett to the front paste down. In a full calf binding, rebacked, with new endpapers. Externally, generally smart, with some rubbing to the boards. Minor bumping to the extremities. Boards are lightly discoloured to the extremities. Bookplate to the front paste down. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are lightly age-toned with some spotting. Faint tide mark to the tail of the last few pages. Very Good . Ill.: William Kent; John Wotton. Very Good .