12mo (161 x 85 mm). Wood-engraved vignette on title-page, 50 wood-engravings by John Bewick. (Some occasional spotting, some creasing.) Contemporary half calf, marbled boards, smooth spine gilt, brown morocco lettering-piece gilt (some chipping, covers rubbed, front cover nearly free). 

 

FIRST EDITION of these moralizing tales for children by Reverend John Trusler, who published on a wide variety of subjects, including etiquette, medicine, and gardening. In Proverbs Exemplified, Trusler explains well-known proverbs by providing commentary on illustrations by wood-engraver, John Bewick, who was the brother of fellow wood-engraver Thomas Bewick. Thomas Bewick, often cited for reviving wood-engraving during the 18th-century, is best known for his work in The History of British Birds.