Up for sale is a late-Victorian/Edwardian edition of Doctor Syntax's Three Tours: In Search of the Picturesque, of Consolation, and of a Wife by William Combe.

This specific volume features the iconic satirical illustrations by Thomas Rowlandson. While the title page bears the date 1895, the publisher's catalog at the rear is explicitly dated March 1901, pinpointing the exact printing batch of this book.

PROVENANCE / HISTORY:
The blank flyleaf features a beautiful, clean handwritten Christmas gift inscription dated December 25th, 1906, from Southern Pines, North Carolina, addressed to the prominent 19th/20th-century American scholar and professor George C. S. Southworth.

CONDITION NOTE (Please Read Before Bidding):
This book is being sold strictly AS-IS / FOR REPAIR OR RECOVERY.

• Binding/Hinge: The internal front inner hinge is completely split/separated from top to bottom. The first few pages and front cover are loosely held by the external cloth and are very fragile. The rear inner hinge remains completely intact and secure.
• Exterior: The black cloth covers feature crisp blind-stamping and bright gold gilt on the spine. Please note there is some minor bubbling/wrinkling to the cloth on the back cover near the top margin (see photos). Minor shelf wear to spine caps and corners.
• Interior Pages & Plates: The text block and full-page color plates deep inside are in excellent, clean condition. The paper is remarkably bright with almost no foxing or water staining. Colors remain vibrant.
• Markings: There are some light pencil checkmarks on the List of Plates, and an early ink notation/pencil marginalia on the first page of the biographical introduction.

This is a wonderful candidate for a bookbinding restoration project, a reading copy to handle with care, or a "breaker" copy for salvaging the pristine, frameable internal color artwork.

SHIPPING:
Ships free in the USA via USPS Media Mail.