{"product_id":"the-tour-of-doctor-syntax-in-search-of-the-picturesque-a-poem-william-combe","title":"The Tour of Doctor Syntax, In Search of the Picturesque: A Poem, William Combe","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication\u003c\/strong\u003e: Halifax, Milner and Sowerby, 1862\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormatting\u003c\/strong\u003e: 32mo, pp. [N\/A].\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition Report\u003c\/strong\u003e: Very Good. The original red cloth binding remains remarkably sound and square for a miniature provincial edition of this era. The boards exhibit some expected minor rubbing, with slight softening to the spine caps and gently bumped corners. The blind-stamped floral and foliate borders are nicely preserved, while the gilt pictorial vignette of Doctor Syntax on the upper board retains a pleasing brightness. The gilt titling to the spine has darkened slightly but remains entirely legible. The all-edges-gilt (a.e.g.) text block shows age-appropriate tarnishing. Internally, the pale yellow endpapers are intact without any major splitting at the hinges, and the binding is tight and firm. The pages are notably clean and bright, showing only faint, occasional age-toning, making this a handsome and well-preserved copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCatalogue Note\u003c\/strong\u003e: This is a charming mid-Victorian miniature edition of William Combe’s famous satirical poem, published by Milner and Sowerby in 1862. Halifax printers, particularly Milner and his successors, were renowned for producing affordable, pocket-sized (often 32mo or 16mo) reprints of popular works for a mass 19th-century audience, commonly referred to as the 'Cottage Library' format.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginally published in 1812 and famously brought to life by Thomas Rowlandson’s illustrations, \u003ci\u003eDoctor Syntax\u003c\/i\u003e follows the quixotic misadventures of a pedantic clergyman. While this edition is unillustrated beyond the striking gilt vignette on the front board, which playfully depicts the good doctor reading whilst mounted on horseback, it stands as a lovely example of Victorian provincial publishing. Given their small, portable nature, preserving these miniature cloth bindings in such solid, collectable condition is increasingly uncommon on the open market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollow the hilarious and disastrous escapades of the eccentric clergyman Doctor Syntax as he sets out on horseback to make his fortune by publishing a grand tour of the \"Picturesque.\" Written in lively octosyllabic verse by William Combe, this biting satire pokes fun at the late-18th-century obsession with romanticised travel and the high-minded aesthetic theorists who popularised it. A classic of British comic literature, Doctor Syntax remains a beloved caricature of the bumbling, well-meaning scholar who finds himself thoroughly out of his depth in the real world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53550838022483,"sku":"3443-?-VG-","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260729_174914.jpg?v=1785849702","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/the-tour-of-doctor-syntax-in-search-of-the-picturesque-a-poem-william-combe","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}