Taken from Life

W. Collins Sons & Co Ltd. BERESFORD, J.D.(John Davys); HOPPE, E.O (Emil Otto) - Taken from Life London: W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd [1922] Large 8vo; in green cloth boards with gilt to the upper board and spine; along with the rare dust wrapper with the portrait photograph of drug user Franz on the front cover; pp viii, 216 + 4 pages of advertisements at the rear; the boards are in decent shape with only minor wear to the spine ends and mild pushing to a couple of the corners, the seven photographic portrait plates have their tissue guards, the dust wrapper has a moderate chip of about an inch at the top of the spine and small amounts of chipping to the bottom of the spine, there is a tear to one of the corners, and a dulled spine; overall very good. Beresford teamed up with photographer Emil Otto Hoppe, who by 1922 was a leader in pictorial portraiture, for this study in humanity. They picked seven subjects, from the inside blurb describing them as being from the lower strata of society. They refer to their seven subjects as: a Tramp, a Cabman, a Drug fiend (our man Franz), a Pedlar, an old Countrywoman, a Courtesan and a Charwoman, each with a biography written by Beresford and a wonderful portrait plate from Hoppe. Beresford explained in his foreword that he was not looking to apply criticism of any aspect of society, rather he was trying to present little pieces of human history. Included in the rear is a 54-page sociology essay from Beresford. A nice-looking book with the plates, with this first edition copy particularly rare because it retains its dust wrapper. . Very Good. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1st Printing. 1922.