This is a remarkable set, perhaps among the best examples of color plate printing anywhere. The renowned lithographer, publisher, and bookseller, Rudolph Ackermann, published this set over several years beginning in 1808. He enlisted the talents of architect and artist Augustus Pugin and caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson to produce the wonderful illustrations that populate the books. Pugin was credited with helping to advance the Gothic Revival style in architecture. Rowlandson was a popular artist whose work appeared in numerous British periodicals. Pugin's task in
Microcosm was to render the buildings accurately. Rowlandson's was to depict the people likely to populate the venues shown. He did so with aplomb.
If you want to learn more about this beautiful set, please call Mike Slicker at
(727) 822-3278 or send him an email at
lighthousebooksabaa@gmail.com.
