Alexander Pope, Moral Essays 1stEd 1751, illustrated

The works of Alexander Pope Esq. Volume III containing "Moral Essays", London: printed for J. and P. Knapton, in Ludgate-street, MCCLI [1751], first edition for the illustrations by Blakey with Ravenet and Scotin. [eight engraved copper plates; signed in plate].

Provenance:
The book is from the library of Richard Cranch (1726-1811), signed "Richard Cranch" and dated 1757 on the front endpaper.

CONTENTS:

An Essay on Satire, Occasioned by the Death of Mr. Pope. Inscribed to Mr. Warburton. By John Brown, M.A. (1715-1766)

ESSAY on MAN, in Four Epistles:

Epistle I. Of the nature and State of man with the respect to the universe.
Epistle II. Of the nature and State of man with respect to himself, as an individual.
Epistle III. Of the nature and state of man with respect to Society.
Epistle IV. Of the nature and state of man with respect to happiness.

MORAL ESSAYS:

Epistle I. Of the knowledge and characters of Men
Epistle II. Of the characters of Women
Epistle III. Of the use of Riches
Epistle IV. Of the use of Riches
Epistle V. To Mr. Addison, occasioned by his dialogues on Medals

Simon Francois [Francis] Ravenet (1706-1774) was a French engraver credited with the revival of engraving in England. He was one of William Hogarth's assistants.
Ravenet was born in Paris, where he studied engraving under Jacques-Philippe Le Bas before moving to London in 1750, where he founded a school of line engraving. His pupils included the engravers John Hall and William Wynne Ryland. Ravenet played a significant part in the London art institutions that were developing at the time. He sat on the committee of the Society of Artists in 1767 and in 1770, he joined the Royal Academy as one of only six associate engravers. His son, Simon Jean Francois Ravenet (1737, Paris - 1821, Parma, Italy) was also an engraver.

Gerard Jean-Baptiste Scotin (French, Paris 1698- after 1755) Engraver, usually known simply as Gerard Scotin II (to distinguish him from his grandfather, also engraver); began his career in Paris, working especially after Watteau; moved to London in 1733 with his brother Louis Gerard, where he remained for the rest of his career. [reference: British Museum, London].

Nicholas Blakey (died 20 November 1758) was an Irish-born draughtsman and engraver. He produced book illustrations, and designed early examples of scenes from English history. Blakey's early life is not known; born in Ireland, he is known to be studying in Paris in 1747. He developed a late rococo style.
Being a designer of book illustrations, he collaborated with others including Louis Peter Boitard, Charles Grignion the Elder and Simon François Ravenet. His earliest published designs appear in Bernhard Siegfried Albinus's "Tables of the Skeleton and Muscles of the Human Body" (1749). Working with the painter Francis Hayman, he designed and engraved plates for an edition of "Alexander Pope's works" (1751), and for Jonas Hanway's "An Historical Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea" (1753). Also with Francis Hayman he contributed to a set of prints, published as "English History Delineated" (1750–52); these were commissioned in 1750 by the publishers John and Paul Knapton and Robert Dodsley. These large-scale scenes were a notable early example of illustrations of important moments in English history. Blakey was the designer of "The Landing of Julius Caesar", "Vortigern and Rowena" and "Alfred in the Island of Athelney, receiving News of a Victory over the Danes". [Reference: British Museum]

Alexander Pope (1688-1744), is regarded as one of the greatest English poets, and the foremost poet of the early eighteenth century. He is best known for his satirical and discursive poetry, including "The Dunciad", and "An Essay on Man", as well as for his translation of "Homer". "The Works of Alexander Pope Esq. In Nine Volumes" was published in 1751, and became the primary ultimate edition of Pope's works.

Provenance:

Richard Cranch (1726-1811) was a watchmaker, legislator, and a jurist. Born at Kingsbridge, Devonshire, Cranch arrived in Boston in November 1746 and established a shop as a card-maker. Cranch relocated to Braintree in 1750, and later to Weymouth, where he took up the business of watch repair. In 1762, he married Mary Smith of Weymouth, sister of Abigail Smith, the wife of John Adams.

Cranch was associated with Harvard College. He was a supporter of the Harvard library, and the college granted him an honorary M.A. degree in 1780, placing him with the class of 1744. He was a founding member of the Massachusetts Charitable Society, and the Massachusetts Society for Propagating the Gospel in North America (in its 1787 iteration). He sat as a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, but declined membership in the Massachusetts Historical Society (he did donate a book to the Society's library).
He was a representative from Braintree to the Constitutional Convention in 1788; Representative to the Mass. General Court 1778-1782, 1786; member of the Mass. Senate 1787; Justice of the Suffolk County Court of Common Pleas 1779-1793, and Postmaster at Quincy 1794.

US: Priority (c.2-4 days) ----------$18.50
Canada: Priority (c.2-6 weeks) ---- $29.50
World: Priority (c.2-8 weeks) ----- $40.50
Condition Report: Hard boards, original leather, five raised bands on spine [leather wear, leather creases between spine and boards, boards are well attached]; 4.1/2” x 7”; “Richard Cranch 1757” is pen-written on the front endpaper; two-color title page; xxxii + 4 + 207 pages; 8 copper engraved plates; three plates have a blank margin damage at the line where the copper plate is pressed into paper: one plate has a vertical margin creased[the plate at the page 2, it has an additional c. 1” vertical crease] and two plates have a reduced blank margin at the vertical edge of the copper plate [see photos]. Overall very good condition.