"Plain or Ringlets?" by Robert Smith Surtees, the Author of "Handley Cross", "Sponge's Sporting Tour", "Ask Mamma", Etc. Etc. Illustrated by John Leech (LP157)

Published 1914: First Methuen Edition / Hardcover / Very Good Condition / Illustrated throughout

Original red cloth with gilt titles on the spine. 539 very clean and bright pages, mild speckled foxing on the endpapers and edges, previous owners name on inner covers rubbed out. Covers slightly rubbed and faded with time consistent with age. A scarce well preserved edition. (LP157)

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Surtees's (1805-64) novels revolve around British field sports. His "sharp, authentic descriptions of the hunting field have retained their popularity among fox-hunters" and "his mordant observations on men, women, and manners; his entertaining array of eccentrics, rakes, and rogues; his skill in the construction of lively dialogue (a matter over which he took great pains); his happy genius for unforgettable and quotable phrases… have won him successive generations of devoted followers"

One of the great pleasures of Plain or Ringlets? is the interpretation of its events by the artist John Leech. He was introduced to Surtees by William Thackeray, a great friend and admirer of Surtees' work. The first novel Leech illustrated for Surtees was Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour. Surtees had originally asked Thackeray to illustrate this work, but Thackeray declined on the grounds that he could not draw horses; instead, he recommended Leech, being "of a sporting turn" and who "to my mind draws a horse excellently." Leech illustrated all of Surtees' subsequent works and the two men became friends. The illustrations follow the text closely, a result of close collaboration between the artist and writer. Although Leech was responsible for numerous book illustrations, and is lauded as the chief cartoonist of Punch, some of his best work is to be found in the pages of Surtees' novels. {Google Books}