Francis Douce, Reprint from 1858

Copy of Holbein's A
Douce Alphabet, Douce: A

We have elsewhere seen how Francis Douce's famous book was reprinted in 1858, how it was bound together with another book of Holbein's woodcuts from the Old Testament, how this new book was titled »Holbein's Dance of Death Exhibited in Elegant Engravings on Wood«, and how Douce must have turned in his grave, since he had all his life refused to believe it was Holbein, who had created the dance of death.

The editor behind this reprint was Henry G. Bohn and three years later, in 1861, he also reprinted the book »A treatise on wood engraving« by William Chatto from 1839. Henry G. Bohn changed the book countless places where he wanted to add new woodcuts, and he wrote an additional chapter. Once again a writer must have turned in his grave, although not Chatto, who was still alive, but the artist, John Jackson, who had made the 300 woodcuts for the 1839 edition, and who had financed the entire project.

Common to both these reprints, Douce and Chatto, is that Henry G. Bohn added a copy of Holbein's dance of death alphabet. In Douce's book they are brought on two pages with 3 × 4 images each; in Chatto's book there is one great plate with 4 × 6 letters:

Go forth
 

The next chapter is a second look at Douce.

The previous subject was Heinrich Lödel.

Douce: A
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: A
Douce: B
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: B
Douce: C
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: C
Douce: D
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: D
Douce: E
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: E
Douce: F
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: F
Douce: G
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: G
Douce: H
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: H
Douce: I
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: I
Douce: K
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: K
Douce: L
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: L
Douce: M
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: M
Douce: N
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: N
Douce: O
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: O
Douce: P
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: P
Douce: Q
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: Q
Douce: R
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: R
Douce: S
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: S
Douce: T
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: T
Douce: V
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: V
Douce: W
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: W
Douce: X
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: X
Douce: Y
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: Y
Douce: Z
Douce Alphabet 1858: Douce: Z

Resources

Other alphabets

The next chapter is about alphabets mentioned by Douce that we haven't covered yet.
Douce2, Initial S
Artists/publishers:

Hans Holbein (1524)
Wolfgang Köpfl (1526)
Christoph Froschauer (1527)
Mainz and Cologne (1532)
Augsburg (1534)
Johannes Schott (1536)
Greek alphabet (1538)
Andreas Vesalius (1543)
Cologne (1548)
Heinrich Lödel (1849)
→ Douce reprint (1858)
Douce, revisited
Odds and ends