1851: Adventures Of Mr. & Mrs. Sandboys, Cruikshank. 1851: Or, The Adventures Of Mr. And Mrs. Sandboys And Family, Who Came Up to London To Enjoy Themselves And To See The Great Exhibition, By Henry Mayhew, And George Cruikshank, Published By David Bogue, 86, Fleet Street, with the agents listed at the bottom of the front wrapper (John Menzies, Princes Street, Edinburgh. - James M’Galshan, D’Olier Street, Dublin). This is a first edition in the original monthly parts in green wrappers; the series ran from February to October 1851, and the book form came out after the eight monthly parts were finished. Each part cost one shilling, and the set is housed in a beautiful slipcase by Riviere and protected with a red fold-over cover inside the outer slipcase.There are nine folding plates and one regular etching by Cruikshank, as called for - Part II has two folding plates by Cruikshank, and all the rest have one - and pages 63 and 64 are lacking, as issued. (There was an error in the pagination at page 63, and thaterror is present here; in subsequent issues, a leaf of advertisements was inserted to correct the error.)As the title suggests, the story revolves around the Sandboys family and their attempt to travel from Cumberland to London to visit the 1851 Great Exhibition being held at Joseph Paxton's 'Crystal Palace' in Hyde Park. However, their journey is repeatedly interrupted by a number of problems, with Mr. Sandboys only arriving at the Exhibition just as it is closing. Mainly a humorous book full of comic misfortunes, this classic tale also comprises more serious observations about London and the Great Exhibition, with Cruikshank poking fun at Britain’s standing as an industrial power.Part I has ads for David Bogue inside the front and inside the back wrappers, while Parts II through VI have no ads inside the front or back wrappers, and Part VII and VIII have ads for St. George’s Gallery and The Great Diorama Of Jerusalem and the Holy Land on the inside of the front wrapper and a continuation of that ad on the inside of the rear wrapper.There are other ads here and there in the parts. Part II has two pages of Opinions of the Press on 1851: or The Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Sandboys, then four pages of ads for Books published by David Bogue, and an eight-page pamphlet at the end for the National Illustrated Library; Part IV has a two-page ad for a diorama for Jerusalem and the Holy Land before the fold-out plate at the beginning and an eight-page ad for Jarrold’s at the rear; Part V has an eight-page pamphlet for the National Illustrated Library at the rear; Part VI has a two-page ad for The Great Diorama of Jerusalem and the Holy Land at the rear; Part VII has an ad for St. George’s Gallery and The Great Diorama Of Jerusalem and the Holy Land on the inside of the front wrapper and a continuation of that ad on the inside of the rear wrapper, and Part VIII has a copy ofthe woodcut title page and a List of Illustrations Designed And Etched By George Cruikshank at the rear. There are also ads for Albert Smith’s Comic Shilling books on the back wrappers of Parts II and II and an ad for The Comical Creatures FromWurtemberg including The Story of Reynard The Fox on the back wrapper of Part VII.There are no red flags for condition. Part I has a small Bradbury Bookseller & Binder label in the upper left corner of the front wrapper, with light wear at the heel and a small chip at one tip. Part II has light soiling at the bottom and light wear at the heel and right edges of the front wrappers. Part III has light wear at the crown and tips. Part IV has light soiling on the spine. Part V has very light wear at one tip and the owners name in pencil at the top of the front wrapper. Part VI has light wear at the heel of the spine and light soiling on the edge of the front wrapper. Part VII has a small chip at the heel and light soiling on the edges of the wrappers, and Part VIII has a one-inch separation at the crown, wear at the crown and heel of the spine, a small chip on the right edge of the front wrapper, and creases at the tips.Henry Mayhew (1812 - 1887) was an English journalist, playwright, and advocate of social reform, and one of the co-founders of the satirical magazine Punch.Each part measures 8 3/4 x 5 3/4 in. wide and the slipcase is 9 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. wide, with five raised bands and a gilt title on the spine, and this is a must-read for historians and collectors of Mayhew's work, as well as for people who appreciate Cruikshank’s artwork.The monthly parts are very hard to find at auction, while the book form is much easier to find. The last time a full set of the original monthly parts came up at auction was in 2015 as far as we can tell.#2659