Samuel McKechnie — Popular Entertainments Through the Ages

London, Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. 1931 . First edition. Cloth. A richly illustrated first edition tracing the history of English popular entertainments, complete with four colour plates and the vanishingly scarce original dust wrapper. In the publisher's original cloth binding, with the vanishingly scarce original unclipped dust wrapper.This volume is a first edition.This copy is undated. Dated here using Jisc, from copies held at various institutions including the British Library, University of Oxford Libraries, and National Trust Libraries among others. McKechnie offers a richly illustrated historical survey of popular entertainment forms across eras in England, tracking their evolution from early street performers to the diverse spectacles of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Chapters include: "Mimes, Minstrels and Strolling Players," "The Fun of the Fair," "The Comedy of Masks," "Punch and Judy," "Pantomime," "The "Halls", "The Cinematograph," and "The Circus." This volume is richly illustrated, including four colour plate illustrations, including a frontispiece, with a further sixty-eight black and white plates and one in-text illustration. Collated, complete. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Externally, very smart. Bumping and slight rubbing to extremities, more so to tail of spine. One small perforation to upper edge of rear board. Previous owner's inscription to front free endpaper. Slight offsetting to endpapers. Dust wrapper, smart. Rubbing and bumping to extremities resulting in the odd chip, closed tear and crease. Slight loss to tail of spine and upper edge of front panel and extremities. Slight soiling to wraps with on or two minor handling marks. Internally, firmly bound. Pages bright and clean if slightly age toned, with the odd spot heavier to fore edge and first and last few leaves. Very Good Indeed . Ill.: Various. Very Good Indeed/Very Good.