8vo., very handsome full polished calf with a series of decorative borders (gilt and blind) in the manner of Edwards of Halifax; spine with five raised bands and a black morocco label with gilt and blind decoration within the compartments. A.e.g., pink endleaves.Based upon Holbein's original 15th century designs, Wenceslaus Hollar, the Bohemian etcher born in Prague in 1607 created copper plates for his own Dance of Death. In 1647 an edition of 30 copperplates was brought out in London; another edition from these plates was published in 1651. The plates then disappeared from sight until the late 18th century when several editions from the "newly discovered" plates began to appear. The copperplates apparently came into the hands of an English family of nobility, from whom the bookseller, Edwards, obtained them. We have compared the plates of our edition with the plates of the ALSO SCARCE 1804 edition (printed by C. Whittingham for John Harding) and with the more common 1816 edition (printed by B. McMillan for J. Coxhead) and notice unmistakable differences in small details, which may be the result of the copperplates having been "rebitten with great care," according to Douce, or entirely recut.The title-page of our edition carries no place, date of publication, or publisher's name. We have inferred, however, that is it the 1789 printing of the plates (before the rebiting); the 1794 Edwards edition (See: No. 249 in the Minns Catalogue) is described thus, "Printed from the original plates rebitten with great care to prevent injury in the retouching."See: Warthin, A. The Physician of the Dance of Death. pp. 72-76. Douce, F. Holbein's Dance of Death. pp. 111-113.