The Adventures of Doctor Comicus or The Frolicks of Fortune, A Modern Syntax

£300.00

The Adventures of Doctor Comicus or The Frolicks of Fortune, A Modern Syntax

Name: The Adventures of Doctor Comicus or The Frolicks of Fortune, A Modern Syntax
Brand: Broadhursts Books
SKU: 5174
Price: 300.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

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The Adventures of Doctor Comicus or The Frolicks of Fortune, A Modern Syntax — First Edition

Publication: London, B. Blake, 1815

Formatting: 8vo, pp. [ii], 269, [i].

Condition Report: Very Good. The binding is a handsome, likely later, full panelled calf with blind-tooled borders and corner fleurons, featuring a contrasting central panel and a red morocco title label to a raised spine. The binding is tight and secure, showing only minor superficial shelf-wear. The interior features attractive marbled endpapers and untrimmed page edges. The text block is generally clean, though some light spotting, age-toning, and offsetting can be expected given the period. Notably, this copy contains the hand-coloured aquatint frontispiece, the extra engraved title page, and twelve hand-coloured plates, lacking plate 10 ('Shaving the Doctor'). Overall, a highly attractive, robustly bound copy of this scarce parody, presenting exceedingly well on the shelf despite the single missing plate.

Catalogue Note: This is the first edition of The Adventures of Doctor Comicus, one of the earliest and most successful parodies of William Combe's immensely popular Doctor Syntax tours. Written under the pseudonym "A Modern Syntax," the work consciously mirrored the episodic, mock-heroic verse of Combe's originals to capitalize on the public's appetite for the genre.

The spirited hand-coloured aquatints, often attributed to Thomas Illman or imitating the style of Thomas Rowlandson, are an essential feature of the satire, capturing the exaggerated follies of Regency life. This copy includes the extra engraved title page and frontispiece alongside twelve coloured plates.

Bibliographically identified via Abbey Life 255 and Tooley 431, early printings of this imitation are increasingly scarce on the open market, particularly when housed in such a distinguished panelled calf binding.

The Adventures of Doctor Comicus offers a hilarious, satirical romp through Regency England, following the misadventures of a haplessly ambitious country doctor. Penned as a direct spoof of the famous Doctor Syntax series, this comic poem chronicles the doctor's quest for a wealthy wife and an escape from his mundane village life. Filled with riotous hand-coloured aquatint illustrations, it is a delightful piece of 19th-century comic heritage that sharply skewers the social pretensions and eccentricities of the era.

Book Condition: Very Good

Book Authors: A Modern Syntax

Book Publisher: B. Blake

Book Language: English

Narrative Type: Antiquarian

Genre: Poetry

Book edition: First Edition

Signed: No

Book Pages: 269

Book Publication Year: 1815

Book Publication Date:

Book Binding: Full Calf

Illustrator: Thomas Rowlandson (Style of)

Book Series: N/A

Country/region of manufacture: London, United Kingdom

Book Dimensions:

Book Condition Guide

We stock thousands of books in a wide range of conditions. To make things clear and to help you know exactly what to expect, Please refer to these condition categories to understand the condition of the book you will receive.

Condition	Description
New	A brand-new, unread and professionally handled book. Carefully preserved from publication to purchase, these books are offered in the best attainable condition. This grade applies to recently published titles that have not entered long-term storage.
As New	The book is in pristine, original condition as if just published. No signs of use or handling. The dust jacket (if present) is equally flawless. This grade applies to any book that has remained untouched in storage for years.
Fine	The book is close to As New. It remains bright and attractive, but could show minor imperfections to the boards and/or dust jacket (if present). Its pages are typically clean and unmarked.
Near Fine	The book has a number of small flaws, i.e. slight rubbing to the edges, or tiny chips or creases to the dust jacket (if present). Its pages may have faint marks, or creases that are barely perceptible — nothing that detracts from their overall condition.
Very Good	The book maintains its structural integrity, and has no major flaws such as tears to its binding or pages. It may, however, show signs of careful use, handling, or storage — small marks and creases, light foxing. Its dust jacket (if present) remains fully intact, but small tears may be present.
Good	A book that remains intact and readable with complete text pages, but shows moderate signs of wear and use to both the book and dust jacket (if present). It may have noticeable creases, nicks, or stains, and the spine likely shows fading, bumping, and rubbing. There could be writing, underlining, and other marks on some pages, though the majority will be clean and tidy.
Fair	A book with significant wear or damage. The text pages will be complete, but there may be heavy underlining, highlighting and staining throughout, and the book’s endpapers, half-title, and copyright pages could be damaged or missing. The binding could be loose, and the dust jacket (if present) may have notable scuffs or tears. These copies are usually of interest for content, signature(s) or scarcity.
Poor	A heavily worn book whose value lies in its complete and legible text. A poor book will have substantial defects — loose joints or hinges, detached covers, loose and/or missing pages, and could be heavily soiled. A poor book is also known as a reading copy, and although compromised, can hold historical or bibliographic significance.