4to. (312 x 245 mm) Large Paper Copy. pages: l[6]298 [2]pp. FIRST EDITION. 19th c. Half calf over marbled boards, gilt rules on boards, spine (faintly) decorated in gilt and blind; hinges restored; bookplates of Sir Henry Edwards and Herbert Henry Raphael; minor foxing very good copies with fore- and tail-edges untrimmed. Spine professionally repaired. Frontis. + 39 full-page hand-coloured plates. Strutt, Joseph 1749-1802 was an author, artist antiquary, and engraver... In 1771 he became a student in the reading-room of the British Museum whence he drew the materials for most of his antiquarian works. His first book "The Regal and Ecclesiastical Antiquities of England," appeared in 1773. For it, he drew and engraved from ancient manuscripts representations of king's costumes, armour seals, and other objects of interest, this being the first work of the kind published in England. He spent the greater part of his life in similar labours - his art became little more than a handmaid to his antiquarian and literary research. Between 1774 and 1776, he published the three volumes of his "Manners Customs Arms Habits &c. of the People of England" and in 1777-8 the two volumes of his "Chronicle of England" both large quarto work profusely illustrated and involving a vast amount of research. Although the amount of Strutt's work as an engraver is small, apart from that appearing in his books, it is of exceptional merit and is still highly esteemed. In the study of those branches of archeology which he followed, he was a pioneer, and all later work on the same lines has been built on the foundations he laid. *Ron Norman of Hartlepool carried out rebinding and restoration work on this book. (Ronnorm@aol.com)* Coloured plates on order: 1. Frontispiece. Chess and Tables. 2. Hunting plate I. 3. Hunting plate II. 4. Hawking. 5. Archery and Slinging. 6. Archery. 7. Wrestling. 8. Games with the Ball. 9. Bat and Ball. 10. The Quintain plate I. 11. The Quintain plate II. 12. Quintain plate III. 13. Tilting at the Ring &c. 14. Tournament. 15. Justing (Jousting?) 16. Justs (Jousts?) 17. Mummeries. 18. Saxon Gleemen. 19. Dancing. 20. Tumbling. 21. Dancing - Leaping &c. 22. Balancing. 23. Tutored Bears. 24. Tutored Animals. 25. Tricks taught to Horses. 26. Animals imitated. 27. Prizefighting. 28. Bowling. 29. Kayles. 30. Music. 31. [Not captioned] Assorted board games; including Chess / Tables / Dice / Fox and Geese / Chefs / Merelles... 32. Cards. 33. Pageantry. 34. Children's Games. 35. Hoodman blind. 36. Hot Cockles &c. 37. Games unknown plate I. 38. Games unknown plate II. 39. Games unknown plate III. 40. Games unknown plate IV.