These are two volumes of a three-volume set of the Ingoldsby Legends, a collection of myths, legends, ghosts stories, and poems written by an English clergyman named Richard Barham under his pen name Thomas Ingoldsby in the 1800's. Reverend Barham published his hugely popular Ingoldsby Legends under a pseudonym, possibly to avoid the charges of irreverence made agains his lively and humorous work. Volume I is missing, but the other two are worth it because of the contents and the quality of the books. The title pages for both volumes read "The Ingoldsby Legends Or Mirth and Marvels by Thomas Ingoldsby" and both were published in London by Richard Bentley. Volume II was published in 1842 [MDCCCXLII] and is 288 pages long, as called for, and reads "Second Series Third Edition" on the title page, while Volume III was published in 1847 [MDCCCXLVII] and is 364 pages long, as called for, and reads "Third Series Second Edition " on the title page, and Volume II has the uncorrected point of issue on page 81, line 4, which reads "en bon point" - it was corrected to "embonpoint" in later editions - and they were bound by White on Pall Mall Street in London. The Gosford bookplate on the front paste-downs could have been tied to the Earl of Gosford at Gosford Castle in Ireland as well. The legends were first printed during 1837 as a regular series in the magazine Bentley's Miscellany and later in New Monthly Magazine. They were immensely popular and compiled into books published by Bentley: the first series was published as a book in 1840, the second series was published in 1842, and a third series appeared in 1847. They remained popular and ran through many editions, and they were illustrated by some of the best artists of he day, including John Leech, George Cruikshank, John Tenniel, and Arthur Rackham (the 1898 edition); we can make out the name of Leech on three engravings and one by Cruikshank in the two books here, and all the plates are present. Volume II has 7 plates, as called for, and Volume III has 6 plates, as called for, and both books have decorative initials to start each chapter. The books are 8vo. and measure 8 x 5 3/8 in. wide, with a tight binding, Most of the engravings have brown spots on them and there is offset on the facing pages because of that, but the pages and text are very clean. There is rubbing at the heel and crown of both volumes, and rubbing along the edges of the spines and at the tips, and still an attractive two volumes of this three-volume set. If the first volume was here, the starting prices would be much higher, but we have to go with what we have, and possibly a good find for someone who loves humor and ghost stories and myths. #49 #5008