Fires, Fire Engines, and Fire Brigades – with a History of Manual and Steam Fire Engines, Their Construction, Use and Management

First edition.  viii, 534pp, 16pp (publisher’s ads), wood-engraved frontispiece plus two folding lithographic plates (including diagrams of trials of steam engines at Rotterdam in 1864 and a plan of London showing the fire stations of the Royal Society for the Protection of Life from Fire), numerous wood-engraved illustrations in text (some full-page).  In original blind and gilt-stamped deep burgundy cloth, rebacked with original spine mounted, gilt crest and illustration on front panel.  8vo.  Boards rounded and scuffed on corners, a few mild marks, slightly rubbed at edges and spine joints, spine a little sunned. Text block edges dust darkened.   Internally a hint of spotting and a few institutional blind embossed stamps else neat, clean and tight.  An important but scarce early history of fire-fighting.  Nice volume.