The Honours of the Table, or, Rules for Behaviour During Meals; with the whole art of carving, illustrated by a variety of cuts. and the method of distinguishing good provisions from bad: to which is added a number of hints or concise lessons for the improvement of youth, on all occasions in life. Fourth Edition

Bath: Printed by Gye and Son, for the author, and sold by J. Souter, 1805. Duodecimo (17.5 x 10.5 cm.), 72, 4, 229-240 pages. Illustrated with twenty-one wood engravings after John Bewick (see Hugo, The Bewick Collector. London, 1866-68, 3787). Advertisements for author's other publications at rear, with a twelve-page section from one of those publications, The Progress of Man. Two additional woodcuts within that sample. Stated "fourth edition". Date from external information, based on the fifth edition by the same publisher, which has a stated publication date of 1805. First issued in 1788, this juvenile etiquette manual for mealtime is best known for its extensive section on carving, well-illustrated with nineteen handsome woodcuts of carving instruction for different cuts of meat, in addition to an image of the author's coat of arms on the verso of the title page, and an illustration within the publisher's advertisements. Oxford points out that the book contains "curious information as to the habits of the day. For example, the custom of 'a gentleman and a lady sitting alternately around the table' had only been lately introduced." Trusler (1735-1820) was the editor of Lord Chesterfield's Principles of Politeness (1785), and has been described as an "eccentric divine, literary compiler, and medical empiric" (DNB). ~ Some light soiling throughout; a few small dog ears, but generally clean and sound. In contemporary full tree calf; some light edge wear and leather just starting to separate at the gutters. [OCLC locates eleven copies of this issue (and nine of "fifth edition" of 1805), n.b. all Gye printings are identified as microform by OCLC; Bitting 466 (other issues); Cagle 1026 ff. (for other editions); Maclean, page 142; Opie Collection of Children's Literature 008:158; Oxford, pages 116-7; citing earlier editions are: Pennell, page 163 Schraemli 485; and Simon BG 1477].