The Death of Abel, to which is Prefaced a Copious Memoir of the Author

Stated 2nd edition.  Printed at the Albion Press.  lii, 132pp, with tissued-guarded, engraved frontispiece, extra illustrated title page, and three further engravings.  Full calf’s leather binding with red leather onlay labels front and rear, red leather title label on spine, gilt lettering (front and rear labels emblazoned “reward of merit”.  12mo.  Leather is worn and scuffed, rounded on corners and heavily rubbed around spine.  Text block edges dull. Front hinge partially cracked.  Some occasional spotting on first and last few leaves.  The tissue-guards are edge damaged and toned, one tissue-guard lacking.  

An illustrated edition of this retelling of the biblical story of Cain & Abel by Simon Gessner, translated from the original German into English by Frederic Shoberl.  This edition includes a substantial memoir of Gessner (1730-1788).  Gessner was a Swiss writer and artist, well known in his lifetime for literary works on pastoral themes.  The Death of Abel was first published, in the original German under the title Der Tod Abels in 1758, ran through many editions and was translated into many languages in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, including Welsh, Latin and Hebrew.