[Sometimes attributed to Thomas WILSON (1774-1854), dancing master].
Analysis of the London Ball-room : in which is comprised, the History of the Polite Art, from the earliest period, interspersed with characteristic observations on each of its popular divisions of Country Dances, which contains a selection of the most fashionable and popular Quadrilles, including Paine's First Set, and a selection from the operas of La Gazza Ladra, Il Don Giovanni, Der Freischutz, Pietro l'Eremita, and Il Tancredi ; and Waltzes : the whole, with the figures annexed to each, calculated for the use of Domestic Assemblies, and arranged for the Piano-Forte.
London: printed for Thomas Tegg, 1825. Small octavo (7 ¾ x 4 3/4in; 197 x 121mm) pp. [i-]viii, [9-]12-159[-160], uncut. Stipple-engraved frontispiece, 75 pp. including music, 3 pp. of diagrams of various ‘quadrilles’.
Condition of contents: some spotting to frontispiece, title and about four other leaves, otherwise very clean; occasional small marginal tears.
Original boards, titled on the upper cover, a publisher’s advertisement on the lower cover (see images), rebacked, modern pastedowns, portion of original backstrip laid down on front free endpaper (see images).
Condition of binding: some discoloration, corners worn, modern rebacking.
Provenance: occasional early penciled annotations.
A good copy of this fascinating overview of the various fashionable dances of post-Regency London: copies in the original boards are quite rare. This work must owe a debt to Thomas Wilson’s earlier more specific works, but it is not clear that he was the author. By November 1836 The Gentleman’s Magazine included bookseller J. Miller description of item 1496 as ‘Wilson’s Analysis of the London Ball-Room’ offered for sale for 2s (reduced from the original price of 7s 6d.). This may have been an effort to make the book more interesting by attaching a well-known name, and the presence of instructions on how to perform dances composed by rival dancing-master James Paine of Almacks' in London do tend to contradict the attribution to Thomas Wilson.
- Binding Condition: rebacked
- Overall Condition: acceptable
- Size: 7 ¾ x 4 3/4in; 197 x 121mm
- Sold By: Shadowrock Rare Books
- Contact Person: Adam Langlands
- Country: United States
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 001-860-248-1547
- Preferred Payment Methods: Paypal, US$ checks and wire transfers, major credit cards through paypal
- Trade Associations: AA Approved
