Nichol (Andrew) Five Views of the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, first edition, 5 superb hand-coloured aquatints by J.Harris after Nichol, 8pp. publisher's catalogue tipped inside rear wrapper, sewn in original printed wrappers, a little spotted and soiled, slight fraying to spine, preserved in modern half dark maroon morocco portfolio, spine slightly faded, [Not in Abbey], 4to, Dublin, William Frederick Wakeman, [plates dated and water-marked 1834].

⁂ A superb copy of this great rarity, with only a handful of copies recorded at auction, the most recent being in 1980.
The first railway in Ireland had difficulties to overcome. One opponent, Mr. O'Hanlon, told a Railway Committee of the House of Commons in 1833 that it "would be a monstrous thing that the solid advantages of commerce, manufactures, and all the blessings resulting therefrom, should he sacrificed to a few nursery maids descending from the town of Kingstown to the sea at Dunleary, to perform the pleasures of ablution." Storms also caused a delay as a vital bridge was destroyed. It was finally opened in December 1834 with two engines, the Vauxhall and the Hibernia, which were able to reach speeds of over thirty miles an hour.