Description

Instructive Rambles in London and the Adjacent Villages. Designed to Amuse the Mind and Improve the Understanding of Youth. By Elizabeth Helm. New York, 1814. Leather bound hardcover, gilt title on spine, engraved frontispiece, 308 pages. (The author's name is sometimes spelled Helme.) A travel guide to early 19th century London and surrounding areas, written for a young audience, presented in the form of a narrative tour with entertaining "historical sketches". Fair condition. Structurally sound: the binding is tight and solid; all pages are present with no tears or chips; gilt on spine is clear and bright. Surface wear/scrapes on boards and spine; a tight 2-inch split at the bottom of the front hinge. Significant moisture discoloration on boards, spine and page edges; interior is affected mostly on first and last few pages; majority of pages are clean, wrinkled and a bit age-darkened. As a result of long-term effects of moisture, boards do not lie flat. No writing except for a very old signature at top of second free endpaper.