1913 First Edition
THE JACKDAW OF RHEIMS
By Thomas Ingoldsby
KEY DETAILS
Condition: Very Good
Format: Vellum, folio (fo 12 × 19 in 305 × 483 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Published By: Gay & Hancock, London, 1913
Language: English
Limited Edition: 76/100 Copies
Signed By: Signed by Illustrator
Illustrated By: Charles Folkard
Collation: pp.
Dust Jacket: None, as issued
SKU: BTETM0002656
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
CONDITION, COLLATION & COPY NOTES
COLLATION
pp.
Limited edition of one hundred, this No. 76, signed by Folkard to limitations page. Publisher's full vellum with decorative gilt centrepiece & titles to front board, discolouration to upper corner of front board, rear board & spine, extremities a litte bumped, odd scratch to rear board, one or two spots internally. Illustrated with twelve tipped-in colour plates with captioned tissueguards and small black & white vignette illustrations, else smart.
vellum a little soiled; endpapers toned with spotting/foxing; general light foxing to some leaves; two plates with creases (no loss); binding sound and vellum not bowed/warped. A handsome, scarce signed limited edition.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
SYNOPSIS
The Jackdaw of Rheims is a lively, darkly comic narrative poem (written under the pen name Thomas Ingoldsby) set around the Cathedral city of Rheims in France.
A mischievous jackdaw flies off with a glittering cardinal’s ring—a small act of theft that quickly becomes a serious matter once the Church authorities discover the loss. The bird’s “crime” triggers an escalating response: the jackdaw is pursued, denounced, and subjected to increasingly solemn ecclesiastical punishments, as the clergy marshal the full weight of ritual and authority against a single cheeky thief.
The story’s humour comes from this mismatch of scale—grand, official outrage versus a small, opportunistic bird—and from Ingoldsby’s energetic, rhyming storytelling packed with mock-solemnity and comic exaggeration. Beneath the fun, it’s also a satirical jab at pomp, bureaucracy, and overreach: the more the authorities tighten their grip, the more absurd the situation becomes.
AUTHOR BIO
Richard Harris Barham (6 December 1788 – 17 June 1845) was an English cleric of the Church of England, a novelist and a humorous poet. He was known generally by his pseudonym Thomas Ingoldsby and as the author of The Ingoldsby Legends.
ILLUSTRATOR
Charles Folkard
Charles Folkard (Charles James Folkard, 1878–1963) was a prolific British illustrator active in the “gift book” / colour-plate tradition of the early 20th century. He’s especially remembered for creating the long-running newspaper strip Teddy Tail for the Daily Mail, and for illustrating classic children’s stories and fairy tales (Pinocchio, Grimm, Arabian Nights, etc.).
1913 First Edition
THE JACKDAW OF RHEIMS
By Thomas Ingoldsby
KEY DETAILS
Condition: Very Good
Format: Vellum, folio (fo 12 × 19 in 305 × 483 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Published By: Gay & Hancock, London, 1913
Language: English
Limited Edition: 76/100 Copies
Signed By: Signed by Illustrator
Illustrated By: Charles Folkard
Collation: pp.
Dust Jacket: None, as issued
SKU: BTETM0002656
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
CONDITION, COLLATION & COPY NOTES
COLLATION
pp.
Limited edition of one hundred, this No. 76, signed by Folkard to limitations page. Publisher's full vellum with decorative gilt centrepiece & titles to front board, discolouration to upper corner of front board, rear board & spine, extremities a litte bumped, odd scratch to rear board, one or two spots internally. Illustrated with twelve tipped-in colour plates with captioned tissueguards and small black & white vignette illustrations, else smart.
vellum a little soiled; endpapers toned with spotting/foxing; general light foxing to some leaves; two plates with creases (no loss); binding sound and vellum not bowed/warped. A handsome, scarce signed limited edition.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
SYNOPSIS
The Jackdaw of Rheims is a lively, darkly comic narrative poem (written under the pen name Thomas Ingoldsby) set around the Cathedral city of Rheims in France.
A mischievous jackdaw flies off with a glittering cardinal’s ring—a small act of theft that quickly becomes a serious matter once the Church authorities discover the loss. The bird’s “crime” triggers an escalating response: the jackdaw is pursued, denounced, and subjected to increasingly solemn ecclesiastical punishments, as the clergy marshal the full weight of ritual and authority against a single cheeky thief.
The story’s humour comes from this mismatch of scale—grand, official outrage versus a small, opportunistic bird—and from Ingoldsby’s energetic, rhyming storytelling packed with mock-solemnity and comic exaggeration. Beneath the fun, it’s also a satirical jab at pomp, bureaucracy, and overreach: the more the authorities tighten their grip, the more absurd the situation becomes.
AUTHOR BIO
Richard Harris Barham (6 December 1788 – 17 June 1845) was an English cleric of the Church of England, a novelist and a humorous poet. He was known generally by his pseudonym Thomas Ingoldsby and as the author of The Ingoldsby Legends.
ILLUSTRATOR
Charles Folkard
Charles Folkard (Charles James Folkard, 1878–1963) was a prolific British illustrator active in the “gift book” / colour-plate tradition of the early 20th century. He’s especially remembered for creating the long-running newspaper strip Teddy Tail for the Daily Mail, and for illustrating classic children’s stories and fairy tales (Pinocchio, Grimm, Arabian Nights, etc.).
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