Selections from Original Contributions by James Thomson to Cope's Tobacco Plant
Liverpool: At the Office of Cope's Tobacco Plant, 1889. First edition. Pamphlet. 8vo. [8] (pages of publisher's advertisements for various tobacco products), [6], 9-64, [1], [4] (pages of publisher's advertisements for other tobacco products made by Cope) pp. Brown pictorial wrappers printed in red, gold, and black, spine lettered in black with the pamphlet denoted as No. 3 in the series. Price of 3.D on the front wrapper. Half-title and title pages printed in red and black. Illustrated by a frontispiece hand-drawn portrait of James Thomson and a double-page parody of the famous Stothard illustration for Canterbury Tales, though in this drawing the pilgrims are headed to the shrine of St. Nicotinus, the place of "St. Nicotine of the Holy Herb". The publisher's advertisements also contain a few illustrative wood engravings. This pamphlet contains excerpts of essays by James Thomson, made for easy reading in nineteenth-century smoke rooms. This was booklet number three of a series of around six Cope's Smoke Room Booklets. The essays touch on Western literary and philosophical figures like Shakespeare, Socrates, Ben Jonson, and Rabelais. They also contain pro-tobacco propaganda, which heavily criticizes historical figures who were anti-tobacco, including King James I, as he increased taxes on imported tobacco. A captivating piece of tobacco ephemera from the late 1800's. Very Good. Item #00009658
Very Good with a discreet tape repair to the rear gutter and notable rubbing to the extremities.
Price: $200.00