The scoundrel's dictionary, or an explanation of the cant words used by the thieves, house-breakers, street-robbers and pick-pockets about town. To which is prefixed, some curious dissertations on the art of wheedling; and a collection of their flash songs, with a proper glossary. The whole printed from a copy taken on one of their gang, in the late scuffle between the Watchmen and a party of them on Clerkenwell-Green; which copy is now in the custody of one of the constables of that parish
London: for J. Brownnell, 1754. First (and only) edition. 8vo, pp. 32; 19th century half red morocco, gilt-lettered spine, new blue cloth folding box with leather label. The Huth - Slater - Brett-Smith copy, with the Huth bookplate. Despite the romantic framing story provided on the title-page, the text is largely derived from Shirley's The Triumph of Wit (1688), and the cant entries in B.E.'s A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew (1699). Perhaps the gang member was carrying one of these books, or was newly initiated and required a ready translation of his confederates jargon? The Scoundrel's Dictionary nevertheless has its own charms. A product of a time of rising crime, when criminals were often viewed as popular culture heroes, its rough-and-ready appearance and pocket size fit it for practical or street use while its studious predecessors would have been more likely to be consulted or encountered in a library. It was a source acknowledged by Grose and it's rare, with only a single copy appearing at auction (that one twice) since 1976. Alston IX, 322, "An abridged version of B.E.'s dictionary"; Burke, The Literature of Slang, p. 75, "Reprints the section devoted to canting and canting songs from The Triumph of Wit, 1688;" Coleman, A History of Cant and Slang Dictionaries I, pp. 68-69; not in the Cordell Collection; Kennedy 11895; no mention of the book in Partridge's Slang Today and Yesterday; Starnes and Noyes, The English Dictionary from Cawdrey to Johnson, 1604-1755, "This book, often called the rarest of the cant dictionaries because so many copies are thought to have been lost in a great fire, is ...a reprint of Part III of The Triumph of Wit and hence another descendant of The Canting Academy. Whereas The Triumph of Wit was apparently intended for the diversion of the middle class, however, this dictionary seems to have had some contact with the beggars. At any rate it concludes with an unusual plea for charity to honest beggars." ESTC locates 12 copies (Folger, N.Y. Public, Newberry, LC and UCLA in the U.S.). Item #43201
Price: $15,000.00
