Robert Bloomfield — The Horkey: A Ballad

London, Macmillan and Co, 1882. First edition. Hardback. A delightful book of children's verse by Robert Bloomfield, with George Cruikshank's colourful illustrations throughout. First edition. Rebacked, with the original pictorial boards. Renewed endpapers, retaining the original front blank. Heavily illustrated throughout in colour by acclaimed British caricaturist and book illustrator, George Cruikshank, best known for his works in Charles Dickens' novels."The Horkey" offers a series of light-hearted children's verses by English labouring-class poet Robert Bloomfield, told partly in octosyllabics. This work, amongst Bloomfield's others, is noted for its use of Suffolk dialect words, an element of his writing that served as an inspiration to English poet John Clare, who began publishing his own rural poetry in 1820 and praised Bloomfield's highly. Rebacked, with the original pictorial boards and renewed spine. Externally, dusting and handling marks to the original boards and rubbing to the extremities. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are generally bright and clean, with toning to the half title and last page and spotting to the front blank. Occasional handling marks.  Good . Ill.: George Cruikshank. Good .