MINOR MORALS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, WONDERFULLY ILLUSTRATED BY CRUIKSHANK AND HEATH, BEAUTIFULLY BOUND KELLIEGRAM FOR LAURIAT IN ELABORATE FULL MOROCCO-GILT WITH INLAID MOROCCO COVER ILLUSTRATION

BOWRING, John. Minor Morals for Young People. Illustrated in Tales and Travels. London: Whittaker, 1834. Octavo, early 20th-century full brown morocco, elaborately gilt-decorated spine and covers, raised bands, multi-color inlaid morocco cover illustration of a soldier, top edge gilt. $2500.

First edition of this collection of didactic travel stories meant to teach young people virtuous behavior, with engraved plates by Heath and Cruikshank, beautifully bound in an elaborate full morocco-gilt Kelliegram binding commissioned by Charles E. Lauriat featuring a five-color morocco inlaid cover portrait of a soldier.

British linguist, writer, and traveler John Bowring wrote this book with the intention of helping young people to find greater happiness through helping them to become more virtuous and moral. Here, he offers a number of brief tales related to travel around the continent, all offering lessons about topics such as kindness to animals and controlling one's temper. Embellished with illustrations by Cruikshank and Heath, the result is a volume well-suited to an adolescent audience. Two later volumes in this series were published in 1835 and 1839.

Binding lovely and fine. A beautiful copy.