12mo. 347pp. With an engraved frontispiece, an additional engraved title page, and a further 18 engraved plates. Contemporary green half-calf, marbled boards, tooled in gilt and blind, contrasting red morocco lettering-piece. A trifle rubbed, spine dulled. Recent ticket of the Museum Bookshop, Dublin to FEP, very occasional light spotting.

Thomas Day's (1748-1789) immensely popular morality tale intended for a juvenile readership. His most renowned work, a best-seller for in excess of eighty years, The History of Sandford and Merton was originally published in three volumes issued in 1783, 1786, and 1789 respectively. The tale tells of the cosseted son of a wealthy Jamaican plantation owner learning respect for those less fortunate. Interwoven throughout the primary narrative arc are a series of stories designed to provide instruction on a host of subjects including astronomy, biology, and ancient history. The resulting moral, both Christian and socialist in tone, promotes kindness to both man and beast, regardless of circumstance or race.