EGAN (Pierce, The Younger). Quintin Matsys, The Blacksmith of Antwerp. A Historical Romance. By Pierce Egan The Younger, Author of ‘Fair Rosamond,' Robin Hood,' ‘Paul Jones,' ‘The Young Rake,' &c. London: Barth, 4, Brydges Street, Covent Garden, N.D. [but c.1843 - 4]. Frontispiece, title-page, list of engravings; woodcut initials and vignettes passim; sixty-two engraved plates, mostly by the author; pp.[498]; contemporary ribbon-embossed green cloth, leather spine label. Corners of boards worn, and two small splits in cloth at head of spine; small burn hole, apparently from a cigarette, affecting inner margins of two leaves, with loss of a few letters of text; otherwise internally near fine. Rare.

The original thirty-one penny numbers, bound up. Bibliographical information concerning Pierce Egan the Younger is scant and somewhat confusing. Summers ‘Gothic Bibliography' in the Index of Authors (p.39) records this as Egan's first published work, dating it 1839; he lists also two further editions: ‘recast 1851; and 40 nos. E. Harrison, 1860.' In the Title Index (p.471) he mentions only the edition of 1860. Summers gives no details as to format or publisher for the 1839 edition, and it is to be presumed that he is following the British Library Catalogue listing, which he duplicates. Examination of the British Library copy, however, reveals it to have been wrongly catalogued. It was published by W.S. Johnson, printed at the Nassau Steam Press, does not bear the words ‘The Younger' after Egan's name, and records on the title-page that Egan is the author of ‘The London Apprentice' as well as ‘Robin Hood' and ‘Wat Tyler'. The title-page also bears the words ‘Author's Large Edition', and the engravings are not by Egan but, probably, by W.H. Thwaites. It is in fact the ‘recast' edition mentioned by Summers as having appeared in 1852, in format and general appearance being uniform with other, and dated, editions of Egan's work published by Johnson between 1850 and 1855. By comparison with the copy listed above it appears to have been extensively revised. Our reason for dating the present copy of Quintin Matsys at 1843-4 are complex. Of the ‘other works' mentioned on the title-page, ‘The Young Rake' appears to be otherwise unrecorded. Dated presumptive first editions of ‘Paul Jones' and ‘Fair Rosamond' are known, however, as well as of ‘Wat Tyler', which also we believe to have been earlier. ‘Wat Tyler' was published in 55 parts by F. Hextall, the title-page being dated 1841. On that title-page Egan is described as ‘Author of Robin Hood'. In his Preface Egan likewise refers only to one earlier work, and mentions one other work which is in course of publication: "After thanking all my readers for the kind patronage they have bestowed upon this and my preceding work, ‘Robin Hood;' . . . It is not my intention, at present to produce any work until after Paul Jones, the one I am now occupied upon, is finished'. The title-page of ‘Paul Jones', dated 1842 and also published by Hextall, describes Egan as "Author of ‘Robin Hood,' ‘Wat Tyler,' etc." In the Preface Egan remarks: "to me, the public have been most generous - the sale of Robin Hood (especially), Wat Tyler &c., having been most extensive. . . . In my preface to Wat Tyler I stated that it was not my intention to ‘produce any work until after Paul Jones was completed.' Some circumstances, however, induced me to alter this resolve, and a short tale entitled Adam Bell, etc. . . . was the result." He adds that he has signed all his works, and has at the moment no further works in hand. ‘Fair Rosamond' is published, like ‘Quintin Matsys', by Barth, and the title-page is dated 1844. Egan is described as "Author of ‘Robin Hood,' ‘Wat Tyler,' ‘Quintin Matsys,' &c. &c." This is the earliest dated record of ‘Quintin Matsys' that we have been able to trace, and is the basis of our dating it as having been published in 1843 or 44. This does not prove, of course, that our copy is in fact of the first edition: the coincidence of publisher, however, is probably significant; as is likewise the fact that in the whole range of Egan's works examined this copy of ‘Quintin Matsys' provides the only instance in which the author's other writings are listed out of the chronological order. If Egan, as we seem justified in assuming from his Prefaces, was scrupulous not merely about signing all his works, but about listing them in order, it would be more comprehensible that the first work produced for him by a new publisher should fail in this respect than a later one - and also that it should be the only undated example amongst his first editions. The title-page to ‘Quintin Mastsys' was issued, according to the normal practice, along with the last part. The prominence of position given on that title-page to ‘Fair Rosamond' would also make more sense if we could assume that ‘Fair Rosamond' was at that time a new work in course of publication. By the time that the title-page for ‘Fair Rosamond' came to be issued, along with the last number of that story, ‘Quintin Matsys' would, on this reckoning, of course, be out of print, and there would thus be no incentive to list it other than in its correct time sequence. Finally, this edition of ‘Quintin Matsys' was published in thirty-one penny numbers; ‘Fair Rosamond' was also issued in penny numbers, but only until part 17; the remaining twenty-four parts, of the same size, being issued at 2d. It is probably unlikely that a reversion to an earlier price would have occurred for a later publication - especially since the works published at an earlier date yet, by Hextall, had likewise been published at the higher price. This title not in Sadleir; Wolff, 2046, listing only the later edition published by Harrison.

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