THE HISTORY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF THE ISLE OF AXHOLME. Being That Part of Lincolnshire Which is West of Trent.

Facsimile edition of the 1839 first edition, published by Longman, Rees, Orme and Company. Limited edition. Publisher's half tan calf and brown cloth, decorated in blind, with four raised bands decorated in gilt, and with gilt titles and borders on a black morocco label to the spine. Housed in the marbled paper slipcase. Speckled edges. Marbled endpapers. Illustrated with twenty-nine black and white plates, two colour plates, and with three fold-out maps in colour on linen-backed paper and two fold-out family trees pasted in. Various family crest illustrations throughout. Two publisher's notices loosely laid in. A near fine copy, the binding square and firm, with a little creasing, rubbing and a small area of discolouration to the tail of the spine. The contents are clean throughout, and without inscriptions or stamps. Housed in the very good, lightly rubbed and faded original slipcase, which is peeling slightly at the spine edges.

Issued in an edition of 150 copies, from which this example is numbered 27. A full list of the contemporary subscribers to the facsimile editions faces the foreword by librarian Stanley Houghton. Epworth Mechanics' Institute's series of historiographical texts concerning the Isle of Axholme comprises three large volumes, two quartos, and a royal octavo. Stonehouse's 'History of the Isle of Axholme' was chronologically the second book to be written, and is the second book to be republished in this series, following the republication of the 1906 historical novel 'Captain John Lister' by John A. Hamilton. Stonehouse's historical record was strongly influenced by William R. Peck's 'Topographical Account of the Isle of Axholme', first published in 1815, and has such been criticised for its lack of originality in subject matter and scope. Yet, this highly visual compilation, complete with numerous illustrations and fold-out maps and family trees, offers the modern reader an engaging view of the Isle of Axholme's local geography, history, architectural aesthetics and restoration, and notable family histories. As a result, these beautifully-bound and faithful reproductions of Stonehouse and Peck's works now stand side-by-side, earning individual attention for their contributions to the academic field of English local history.