[DOWTY, Aglen Artemis]

Dizzi Ben Dizzi, or, The Orphan of Bagdad

London: Weldon & Co., 1878. First U.K. Edition. Large Octavo. 24cm. 20th Century tan quarter calf over marbled boards, titled in gilt to spine. [x]; [2]; 62pp.; [18] ads to rear. Light scuffing to the soft leather , and a little very minor wear to corners; internally clean and fresh, with the last leaf of the ads having a rough tear to the gutter area caused by old adhesion to the rear wrap, the front wrap is lacking, illustrated throughout. A very good, handsome copy comprising the Weldon's Christmas Annual for 1878.

Ostensibly a rather typical piece of slightly off-color Victorian comic doggerel with full page and in text illustrations depicting some equally stereotypical representations of 'foreign types' cavorting about after a lengthy stay in the Gilbert & Sullivan costuming department. In actual fact it is an anti-semitic political satire lampooning Benjamin Disraeli, referred to in disapproving circles as "Ben Dizzy", and in this case shoe-horned into a long form verse satire. Ben Dizzi fights with and despatches his enemies ("Conscience", "Conviction", "Principle" etc.), travels and meets with heads of states of other lands including a poorly concealed caricature of Marshall Patrice de Macmahon of France where the two discuss the crushing of communist and "red" revolts whilst sipping sherbet and making veiled references to American involvement. Our 'hero' then travels to "Allemani" where he meets "Bizzy", who at least actually looks like Bismarck, and they discuss the threat of Russia and the importance of maintaining 'European' access to India and the East. later adventures involve the annexation of Cyprus, and a number of other events commonly viewed as predatory (presumably by the readership of Weldon's Christmas Annuals for whom this was created). An ephemeral oddity, packed with contemporary political and colonial detail, and a more unconventional, yet nonetheless informative, insight into Victorian global politics. Scarce, with 5 US holdings in institutions.

Price: $450.00

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