ALKEN (HENRY) A Collection of Sporting and Humourous Designs, comprising a variety of entertaining works, by Henry Alken, Illustrative of the Sports and Pastimes of England, Thomas McLean, 1824ALKEN (HENRY)A Collection of Sporting and Humourous Designs, comprising a variety of entertaining works, by Henry Alken, Illustrative of the Sports and Pastimes of England, 3 hand-coloured title-pages, 208 hand-coloured aquatint plates or soft-ground etchings by Henry Alken (4 folding, 2 loosely inserted), all mounted or inlaid within gilt-ruled borders and interleaved throughout, plates trimmed with occasional loss of imprint, late nineteenth century red morocco gilt bound for Henry Arthur Johnstone, the upper covers with his initials ("H.A.J.") within a centrally placed shield supported by crossed cutlasses, running dogs and a floral decoration in upper border and date ("1824") in lower, spine in compartments gilt lettered with hunting motifs, pigskin doublures with Johnstone's ex-libris stamped on front free endaper, t.e.g. [Tooley 40], folio (530 x 345mm.), Thomas McLean, 1824SCARCE contemporary collection of Alken prints, comprising seven complete works and selections from six further works. Included in the collection are four important oblong plates of shooting and two of coaching, all finely hand-coloured.The number of plates contained in Alken's Collection varies from copy to copy, with some having as many as 300 prints. The blank spaces left for volume numbers on the letterpress titles perhaps indicate that customers were able to choose a selection of plates from McLean's stock and then have them bound to order in as many volumes as required. Contents of the present set:Volume 1: National Sports of Great Britain, frontispiece, 50 plates on 42 leaves (plus a loosely inserted duplicate of "Drawing the Badger" plate) [Schwerdt I, 19; Tooley 41]; [Shooting], 4 large folding plates, cut to edge of image area [Schwerdt I, 21]; [Coaching], 2 plates (one of Plymouth and London Royal Mail, the second of the Bath and London coach, both cut to edge of image area); Moments of Fancy and Whim, 14 plates [Tooley 40].Volume 2: Illustrations to Popular Songs, letterpress title, title, 42 plates in 21 leaves [cf. Tooley 37]; Involuntary Thoughts, 8 plates on 4 leaves [Tooley 39]; Tutors Assistant, 6 plates on 3 leaves [Tooley 59]; [Scraps from the Sketch-book of... Alken], 12 plates on 6 leaves [Schwerdt I, 21]; [Shakespeare], 2 plates on 1 leaf; [Illustrations. Byron], 3 plates; Symptoms of Being Amused, title, 41 plates on 21 leaves [Schwerdt I, 27; Tooley 57]; A Touch at the Fine Arts, 12 plates on 6 leaves [Tooley 58]; Scenes in the Life of Master George, 11 plates (of 12, including one plate loosely inserted), [Tooley 46].Provenance: George Seton Veitch (1835-1909), bookplate; Henry Arthur Johnstone, initials on upper cover and ex-libris (dated 1899) on endpapers. Johnstone's library, containing a large proportion of books on natural history, was sold en bloc to the London bookseller Clements in 1921; Denis Duveen, collector of alchemy books; his sale, Sotheby's, 10-11 November 1947, lot 208; Sotheby's, 30 July 1962, lot 243, bought by Traylen; Sotheby's New York, 18 June 2004, lot 331; Christie's New York, 23 June 2011, The Property of Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Newall III, lot 90.