Laws of the Noble Game of Cricket, as revised by the Club at St. Mary-le-Bone, to this present day. London: J. Bailey, [1809?].
Lot 246

Laws of the Noble Game of Cricket, as revised by the Club at St. Mary-le-Bone, to this present day. London: J. Bailey, [1809?].

Closed13 July 2016

Price Realised

GBP 3,750

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Laws of the Noble Game of Cricket, as revised by the Club at St. Mary-le-Bone, to this present day. London: J. Bailey, [1809?].

12º (138 x 88mm). 12pp. Folding hand-coloured engraved frontispiece. (Frontispiece neatly repaired along folds and at inner margin, some corner repairs.) Original buff printed wrappers (somewhat soiled, resewn within protective modern buckram folder). Provenance: John Busby/ Atterbury (contemporary ownership inscription on inside back cover).

RARE EARLY ISSUE OF THE LAWS, PRESERVING THE ORIGINAL WRAPPERS. The cricketers seen in the frontispiece are young men or youths rather than children. However, the publication is included among J. Bailey's 'List of Children's Books,' printed on the back cover at prices ranging from sixpence to one penny. This is a very interesting indication that the little book was aimed at relatively young children. The price of 4d is given on the front cover, in the title imprint, and likewise on the back cover, making it a penny more expensive than the Introduction to Arithmetic and the Primer for Children. Padwick 167.