1741 ❧ With Bickham's promotional bookplate. BICKHAM, GEORGE. 1684-1758. The Universal Penman. London: Robert Sayer, [1741]. Folio (387 x 255 mm). 144 (of 212) engraved plates. Frontispiece trimmed and mounted. Contemporary red straight grained morocco gilt, covers panelled with a variety of tools in blind and gilt, all edges gilt. Provenance: Promotional Bickham bookplate (see below). FIRST EDITION, a variant of Muir's first issue in parts, of Bickham's work which was first issued to subscribers in fifty-two parts from 1733 until 1741. Bickham's The Universal Penman is considered the most important calligraphic book of the eighteenth century. Copies were heavily used by their owners, making complete copies in acceptable condition very uncommon. Bickham's engraving skill allowed him to cut through the wax directly without preliminary tracing, and his work features twenty-five different writing masters. The presence of George Bickham's promotional bookplate in this copy offers a link between the production and marketing of the work itself. In 18th-century London, prominent engravers and writing masters routinely designed and circulated ornamental plates, which often functioned interchangeably as personal bookplates, calling cards, or commercial trade cards, as physical testaments to their graphic capabilities. The present copy features bookplate with an elaborate calligraphic layout and allegorical frames typical of Bickham's finest decorative work. Because The Universal Penman was natively released as an ephemeral serial across 52 individual part-subscriptions between 1733 and 1741, Bickham utilized his personal network of colleagues, shopkeepers, and elite patrons to fund and secure the initial print run. The inclusion of this rare plate indicates that this volume was directly handled by a close business acquaintance, early subscriber, or associate within Bickham's immediate printing circle. Bonicini, 207; Ekstrom, page 79; Muir, The Library XXV (1944-45), pp. 162-84. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing