The Dance of Life, A Poem, By The Author of “Doctor Syntax;” Illustrated With Coloured Engravings, By Thomas Rowlandson, London: Published By R. Ackermann, Repository Of Arts, 101, Strand. 1817.
This is the sequel to The Dance of Death, published a year later, and a first edition. With five raised bands, six compartments with gilt lettering on burgundy and black panels and gilt tooling on the other panels, triple gilt-fillet borders with corner devices on the calf boards, wide gilt dentelles on marbled endpapers, “bound by Tout” on the first blank endpaper, followed by the colored frontispiece and the colored vignette title page, the title page, an advertisement by the author saying he completed the eight monthly parts
which preceded this book, so he is going on to the “accumulated Volume”, which means it is being published for the first time here in book form; a second small advertisement by R.A.(R. Ackermann, the publisher) says the author’s books have been so successful, he plans to write another one, then there is an Index to the Plates, followed by 285 pages of text, and at the bottom of page 285, it reads “J. Diggens, Printer, St. Ann’s Lane, London.” There are twenty-six hand-colored plates by Rowlandson, including
the frontispiece and vignette title page, and all the edges are gilt.
So the poem was published in eight monthly parts before it came out in book form, the poem was written by William Coombe, even though his name does not appear on the title page, and all the plates by Rowlandson are here.
The book is 8vo. and measures 9 5/8 x 6 1/4 in. wide, with tissue guards to protect each plate, the binding is tight, with light rubbing at the heel and at the tips, some of the gilt has rubbed away on the gilt borders of the boards, light foxing on some of the plates, and an attractive companion piece to the Dance of Death.