Dr. Brook Taylor's Method Of Perspective Made Easy; Both in Theory and Practice: In Two Books. Being An Attempt to make the Art of Perspective easy and familiar; To adapt it entirely to the Arts of Design; And To make it an Entertaining Study to any Gentleman who shall chuse so polite an Amusement. By Joshua Kirby, Designer In Perspective To Their Majesties. And Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Societies. Illustrated With Many Copper-Plates, Correctly Engraved under the Author's Inspection. The Third Edition, with several Additions and Improvements. ... Book I.
London:: Printed for the Author: And Sold by T. Payne, at the Mews-Gate; T. Longman, in Pater-noster-Row; J. Wilkie, St. Paul's-Church-Yard; T. Davies, in Russel-Street, Covent-Garden; Brotherton and Sewell, in Cornhill; and I. Taylor, in Holborn., MDCCLXVIII.
Physical Description
2 vols. in 1; 570 mm. (Broadsheet).
General Note
Book I: [2], x [i.e. xii], 69, [1] p., frontis., 14 pl. There are bis pages ix, x. The frontispiece is numbered 'Plate LV': it is a reprint of pl. LV of Kirby's The Perspective of Architecture (1761). - Book II: viii, 66 p., 21 pl.
Contents
Book I: [Frontis., t.-p., dedic.] - Directions for placing the Plates; Errata - Preface - Advertisement - Contents - [Text of Book I, with pl.]. - Book II: [T.-p.] - Preface - Contents - [Text of Book II, with pl.].
Responsibility Note
The frontispiece is signed as designed and drawn by Kirby and engraved by I. Ryland. The only other plates signed are numbers 20 and 21 of Book II, which are signed as engraved by W. Kirby; pl. 21 is captioned as 'from a drawing ... by Miss Augusta Hawkins'.
The edition is dedicated by the author to John, Earl of Bute.
References
RIBA, Early printed, 5 (2003), no. 3951, p.2654-5; J. Archer, Literature of British domestic architecture (1985), 167.4.
ESTC, T133416
Summary Note
The title page of Book II reads, The Practice Of Perspective; Being The Second Book Of Dr. Brook Taylor's Method of Perspective made easy, &c. By Joshua Kirby ... MDCCLXVIII. The work was first published in 1754. The present edition is a reissue of the 1765 edition.
Provenance
Presented by Josiah Taylor, architectural bookseller and publisher; acknowledged 20 March 1802 (RAA CM III, 134).
Binding Note
20th-century half calf, marbled-papered boards; red morocco spine-label lettered 'Taylor's Method Of Perspective'.