BLACKGUARDIANA by CAULFIELD, James - 1795

1795. [CAULFIELD, James]. BLACKGUARDIANA: or, a Dictionary of Rogues, Bawds, Pimps, Whores, Pickpockets, Shoplifters, Mail-robbers, Coiners, House-breakers, Murderers, Pirates, Gipsies, Mountebanks, &c. &c. Illustrated with eighteen Portraits of the most remarkable Professors in every Species of Villainy. Interspersed with many curious Anecdotes, Cant Terms, Flash Songs, &c. The whole intended to put Society on their guard against Depredators; and was picked up by an Inhabitant of St. James's, who was a Spectator of a grand Scuffle, on a Birth-day Night. Copied for the Inspection of the Curious; and the Original ready to be returned (on describing the Binding, etc.) to the Loser. [London?] Printed for, and sold by John Shepherd, at the Golden Farmer, Bagshot; Sir John Falstaff, at the Boar's-head, Finchley-Common; Sir Henry Morgan, at the Land-Pirates, Hounslow; [etc., etc. 1793? 1795?]. The imprint listing notorious criminals as publishers/booksellers is fun but of necessity false, because this is a pirated reprint of the first edition of Francis Grose's "Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue" printed at London, 1785. (The title is even used as a heading on two pages early in the text!) It is attributed to James Caulfield (1764-1826), a London author and printseller specializing in old English engravings and in portraits. He helped to feed the fashion for `grangerizing' or pasting extra illustrations into historical or topographical books, republishing many old plates and copying many old prints when the originals were too rare or too valuable to supply in quantity. Octavo, 21.5 x 13 cm, mostly unpaginated: [2], vii, [241] pp. Extra-illustrated, with a total of 41 prints bound- or tipped-in, many published by Caulfield and dated 1793 or 1794, plus one drawing. The prints show scoundrels of both sexes, some more grotesque than others. The composition of the wash drawing is the same as "The Bagpiper," an oil painting by David Teniers the Younger in the Louvre, only reduced in size. "Original sketch by Teniers?" is written tentatively in pencil beneath the drawing but, perhaps, it is a faithful copy. The text is arranged alphabetically as one would expect in a dictionary, but with some surprising entries. For instance, there is a series of mostly criminal biographies under "D" for.