[GILPIN, WILLIAM]. An Essay on Prints. London: Printed for R. Blamire, 1792.
FOURTH EDITION. Leather-bound; hardcover; octavo (22.5 x 14 x .5 cm); pp. [14], 174, xi [index], [1, errata]. English text. Beautifully bound in contemporary speckled calf gilt; smooth spine with contrasting morocco lettering-pieces; marbled endpapers; dedication to Horace Walpole, followed by preface and explanation of terms; rear index and errata. Condition: NEAR FINE. A wonderful, tight and clean copy, some trivial browning to endpapers. Old and discrete gift inscription neatly inked to front endpaper.
Notes: A wonderful fourth edition copy of William Gilpin's essay on the merits of printed etchings and engravings, and how they should be evaluated. It stands as an important guide on print collecting in England, and includes detailed commentary on Hogarth's Rake's Progress. First published anonymously in 1768 (Gilpin's authorship was only revealed with the third edition, in 1781). On the continent its influence quickly spread through German, French and Dutch translations. Barbier, pp. 24-27. Lowndes II 895.
