Bryn Mawr College Library Special Collections

Books on London

Satire & Humour

Bibliography

 

The ability to poke fun is an important component of any society and London is certainly no exception. In the London collection, this ability is well represented in the early eighteenth-century works of popular satirist, burlesque poet, and London tavern owner Edward "Ned" Ward. Two of the collection's political satires by Ward are Hudibras Redivivus (4th ed.) and Vulgus Britannicus, or, The British Hudibras (2nd ed.), both dated 1710. Written in a serial format imitating--or, as Ward claimed, continuing--Samuel Butler's Hudibras of 1663, these works provide a survey of the political controversies as manifested and witnessed by the author in the London of his day. Especially popular were the books in which Ward applied the model of a trip narrative to London and its environs. In this genre, Bryn Mawr owns The Merry Travellers (2nd ed., 1724) and The Wand'ring Spy, or, The Merry Travellers. Part II (1722), the latter a comical account of the Southwark election. Additional works by Ward in the collection include The Quack-Vintners, or, A Satyr Against Bad Wine (1712), humorously advising on the London inns and hotels at which good wine could be had, and A Legacy for the Ladies (1705), written with fellow irreverent satirist Thomas Brown and giving a comical view of London and Westminster. The Secret History of Clubs is attributed to Ward and was first published in two parts that were later joined together with additional material in A Compleat and Humorous Account of All the Remarkable Clubs and Societies in the Cities of London and Westminster. The College's collection includes both--a 1709 original edition of the former and a 1756 seventh edition of the latter--as well as Ward's Satyrical Reflections on Clubs (1719). With its tendency toward the vulgar and bawdy, Ward's work was scorned by Alexander Pope, who claimed it was not even read in England, but instead sent off to the colonies.

The collection is also rich in humorous and satirical works of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, particularly of the pictorial variety. From James Gillray, London native and one of the most influential political and social caricaturists of all time, Bryn Mawr owns the Henry G. Bohn edition of The Works of James Gillray from the Original Plates, published in 1851. Early in the nineteenth century, London political satirist and pamphleteer William Hone collaborated with artist George Cruikshank on numerous caricatures and illustrated satirical pamphlets, parodying the corruption of government and excesses of royalty. Two such pamphlets held in the collection are The Political House that Jack Built (1821) and A Slap at Slop and the Bridgestreet Gang (1822), the latter attacking the conservative press of John Stoddart, a London editor to whom Hone gave the nickname "Dr. Slop." Other nineteenth-century illustrated humorous books in the collection are John Leighton's London Out of Town (1847) and Henry Mayhew's 1851, or, The Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Sandboys and Family (1851). Leighton, who was an illustrator and publisher in London, gives a send-up of Londoners on vacation, while Mayhew--social scientist, economist, writer and journalist--does the reverse, lampooning the country family who has come to the city for the 1851 Exhibition; his work is illustrated by Cruikshank. From well-known Victorian illustrator Randolph Caldecott, who received his training at the Slade School in London, Bryn Mawr has several volumes of Graphic Pictures from the late nineteenth century.

In 1841, Henry Mayhew and his associates founded the famous magazine Punch, a British weekly of humour and satire. Originally, it bore the subtitle The London Charivari, referring specifically to the French satirical magazine Le Charivari and to the general sense of the word--a confused, discordant medley of sounds. Both Cruikshank and Caldecott were frequent contributors to the magazine, which is well represented in Bryn Mawr's collection with Punch's Snapdragons, for Christmas (1845), George Du Maurier's English Society at Home (1880) and Charles Keene's Our People (1881), as well as Mr. Punch's Victorian Era (1887), Punch's Cartoons of the Great War (1915), and The Best Cartoons from Punch: Collected for Americans (1952).

 

Bibliography

Brown, Thomas, 1663-1704
A legacy for the ladies, or, Characters of the women of the age / by the late ingenious Mr. Thomas Brown ; with a comical view of London and Westminster: or, The merry quack; wherein physick is rectified for both the beaus and ladies. In two parts. The first part by Mr. Thomas Brown: The second part by Mr. Edw. Ward ... To which is prefixt, The character of Mr. Tho. Brown, and his writings, written by Dr. Drake
London : Printed by H. Meere, for S. Briscoe, and sold by J. Nutt, near Stationers-Hall, 1705
I34123751

Caldecott, Randolph, 1846-1886
More Graphic pictures / by Randolph Caldecott
London ; New York : G. Routledge & Sons, 1887
fNC1479.C32 A4 1883

Caldecott, Randolph, 1846-1886
Randolph Caldecott's Graphic pictures
London ; New York : G. Routledge & Sons, 1883
fNC1479.C32 A4 1883

Caldecott, Randolph, 1846-1886
Randolph Caldecott's Graphic pictures
London , New York : G. Routledge, 1887-91
fNC1115 .C2 1887

Caldecott, Randolph, 1846-1886
Randolph Caldecott's Graphic pictures
London ; New York [etc.], 1889
Uncat 1265

Cruikshank, George, 1792-1878
Cruikshankiana : an assemblage of the most celebrated works of George Cruikshank : travelling in England, or white horse collar, travelling in France, or the diligence, savoyards..., return from Paris, the niece, &c. ..., unpleasant weather, raining cats, dogs, pitchforks..., monstrosities, or London dandies, 1816 to 1827 (8 plates), military dandies, ancient and modern..., sailor's progress, or progress of a midshipman..., Deighton's [sic] London nuisances..., 81 plates.
London : M'Lean, 1835
ffNC242 .C7 C72 1835

Cruikshank, George, 1792-1878
Cruikshankiana : an assemblage of the most celebrated works of George Cruikshank, travelling in England, or white horse cellar, travelling in France, or the diligence, savoyards..., return from Paris, the niece, &c. ..., unpleasant weather, raining cats, dogs, pitchforks..., monstrosities, or London dandies 181- to 1827 (8 plates)..., sailor's progress, or progress of a midshipman..., Deighton's [sic] London nuisances... 81 plates on 68.
London : E. Lumley, [ca. 1836]
ffNC242 .C7 C72 1836

Du Maurier, George, 1834-1896
English society at home, from the collection of Mr. Punch. , by George Du Maurier
London, Bradbury, Agnew, 1880
fNC1479 .D82 1880

Gillray, James, 1757-1815
The works of James Gillray from the original plates : with the addition of many subjects not before collected
London : Printed for Henry G. Bohn, by C. Whiting, [1851]
ffND1479 .G5 1800

Hake, Edward, fl. 1560-1604
Newes out of Powles churchyarde / Written in English satyrs. By Edward Hake ... Accurately reprinted from the excessively rare edition of 1579 in the possession of Sir Charles E. Isham, bart. Edited, with an introduction, and extracts from the author's other works, by Charles Edmonds ..
London : H. Sotheran, Baer and co., 1872
q821.2 H127

Hone, William, 1780-1842
A slap at slop and the Bridgestreet gang. By the author of the 'Political house that Jack built'. With twenty seven cuts
London, W. Hone, 1822
PR4794 .H5 S43 1822

Hone, William, 1780-1842
The political house that Jack built ... / With thirteen cuts ..
London : W. Hone, 1821
942.074 H75

Keene, Charles, 1823-1891
Our people / sketched by Charles Keene ; from the collection of Mr. Punch.
Boston : James R. Osgood & Co., 1881
NC1479 .K4 1881

Lear, Edward, 1812-1888
A book of nonsense / by Edward Lear ; from the 10th London ed., with many new pictures and verses
New York : M. Doolady, [1863?]
PR4879 .L2 N6 1863

Leighton, John, 1822-1912
London out of town, or, The adventures of the Browns at the sea side / by Luke Limner
London : D. Bogue, [1847]
NC1479.L6 A3 1847

Mayhew, Henry, 1812-1887
1851 or, The adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Sandboys and family : who came up to London to enjoy themselves, and to see the Great Exhibition / by Henry Mayhew and George Cruikshank
London : D. Bogue [1851]
I33172407

Smith, Albert, 1816-1860
The wassail-bowl. By Albert Smith
London, R. Bentley, 1843
PR5453 .S4 W3 1843

Steele, Richard, Sir, 1672-1729
A good husband for five shillings, or, Esquire Bickerstaff's lottery for the London-ladies : wherein those that want bedfellows, in an honest way, will have a fair chance to be well-fitted
London : Printed and sold by James Woodward ... and John Baker ..., 1710
PR3757.W8 Q8 1712

Ward, Edward, 1667-1731
A compleat and humorous account of all the remarkable clubs and societies in the cities of London and Westminster ... Compil'd from the original papers of a gentleman who frequented those places upwards of twenty years
London, Printed for J. Wren, 1756
I32360307

Ward, Edward, 1667-1731
Hudibras redivivus, or, A burlesque poem on the times : in twenty four parts, with an Apology, and some other improvements throughout the whole / by E. Ward
London : Printed for John Wren, [1710?]
PR3757 .W8 H8 1710

Ward, Edward, 1667-1731
Marriage-dialogues, or, A poetical peep into the state of matrimony : ... with moral reflexions on every dialogue : together with, The wars of the elements, or, A description of a sea-storm ... / by the author of the London-spy
[London] : Sold by J. Woodward ... and J. Morphew ..., 1709
PR3757 .W8 M37 1709

Ward, Edward, 1667-1731
Nuptial dialogues and debates, or, An useful prospect of the felicities and discomforts of a marry'd life : incident to all degrees from the throne to the cottage : containing many great examples of love, piety, prudence, justice ... : also the fantastical humours of all fops, coquets, bullies, jilts ... : digested into serious, merry, and satyrical poems / by the author of the London-Spy
London : Printed by H. Meere, for T. Norris ... and A. Bettesworth ... : and sold by J. Woodward ... , 1710
PR3757 .W8 N8 1710

Ward, Edward, 1667-1731
Satyrical reflections on clubs : in twenty nine chapters ... / by the author of The London-spy
London : Printed, and sold by A. Bettesworth ..., 1719
PR3757.W8 S28 1719

Ward, Edward, 1667-1731
The merry travellers, or, A trip upon ten-toes from Moorfields to Bromley : an humorous poem, intended as the Wandering spy. Part I / by the author of the Cavalcade
London : Printed for the author, and sold by A. Bettesworth ..., 1724
PR3757 .W8 M47 1724

Ward, Edward, 1667-1731
The quack-vintners, or, A satyr against bad wine : with directions where to have good : inscribed to B---ks and H----r
[London] : Sold by the booksellers of London and Westminster, 1712
PR3757 .W8 Q8 1712

The Secret history of clubs : particularly the Kit=cat, Beef=stake, Vertuosos, Quacks, Knights of the Golden=fleece, Florists, Beaus, & c : with their original, and the characters of the most noted members thereof
London : Printed and sold by the Booksellers, 1709
HS2515.G72 L62 1709

Ward, Edward, 1667-1731
The wand'ring spy, or, The merry travellers. Part II : to which is added, The contending candidates, or, The broom-staff battles, dirty skirmishes, and other comical humours of the Southwark election / by the author of the Cavalcade
London : Printed, and are to be sold by A. Bettesworth and J. Batley ... J. Hook ... S. Briscoe ... M. Hotham ..., 1722
PR3757 .W8 M47 1724

Ward, Edward, 1667-1731
Vulgus Britannicus, or, The British Hudibras : in fifteen canto's : the five parts compleat in one volume : containing the secret history of the late London mob ... intermix'd with the civil-wars betwixt High-Church and Low-Church, down to this time : being a continuation of the late ingenious Mr. Butler's Hudibras / written by the author of The London spy
London, Printed for Sam. Briscoe, and sold by James Woodward ... and John Morphew ..., 1710
PR3757 .W8 V8 1710b

Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield, In upwards of 100 cartoons from the collection of Mr. Punch.
London, 1878
fDA564 .B3 P8 1878

Mr. Punch's Victorian era : An illustrated chronicle of fifty years of the reign of her majesty the queen
London : Bradbury, Agnew & Co., 1887
Uncat f879

Punch cartoons of the Great War
New York, Doran, 1915
fD526.2 .P8 1915

Punch's snapdragons, for Christmas, illustrated with four steel engravings by Leech
London, published at the Punch Office, 1845
I32874480

The best cartoons from Punch : collected for Americans from England's famous humorous weekly / edited by Marvin Rosenberg and William Cole
[New York] : Simon and Schuster, 1952
fNC1478 .P8 1952




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