Oblong quarto. 40 hand-coloured etchings on 20 leaves, with a neat manuscript title leaf bound in at front. Handsomely bound in contemporary richly gilt-tooled red crushed morocco, A.E.G., green paper endpapers, gilt dentellles. Typed bookseller's description tipped-in to front blank fly-leaf. Slightest shelf-wear to extremities, else a fine copy.

First issued in forty six-penny parts between 1819 and 1820, The Humourist gave the prolific illustrator George Cruikshank (1792-1878) his first prolonged opportunity to conceive original illustrations, and demonstrates his skill in lampooning stereotypes of English society.

This volume collects all his images for the work, in undivided state, two to a sheet; 30 of which are proofs before letters (i.e. before the publisher's imprint was added). The remaining 10 are presented on india paper, mounted.