PRESENTED BY CHARLTON HESTON WHILE FILMING 'A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS'. 12mo. (5), 6-190 [i.e. 180] pp, (2), with pp. 164-173 omitted in pagination as issued. Bound in mid-19th century half diced calf over marbled boards, with gilt title on spine. Woodcut bookplate of Thomas Bell dated 1797; MS label of Percy Morton, Tynemouth; lengthy biographical note on the author on flyleaf; engraved ex-libris of William Marchbank (1828–1891) on rear pastedown; bold presentation inscription by Charlton Heston on rear flyleaf, “For Ben, an actor for all seasons / Chuck / 2-9-88 / Bath”. A few names annotated in 19th century pencil throughout the text. Scarce sole edition of this satire of Georgian society in Newcastle, evidently printed for local amusement and referring only indirectly to various local characters. A later hand (perhaps Marchbank?) has identified some of these references in neat pencil; a few of the stanzas incorporate examples of contemporary Tyneside dialect. William Hilton (ca. 1726-1798) seems to have been intent on satirizing the bourgeoisie and nouveaux-riches of that city, as well as those who had left it to seek their fortunes in London. According to the Harvard Art Museum record, the ex-libris of Thomas Bell (1751-1824?), is the work of Thomas Bewick. A more recent owner of the present copy was the liberal-turned-conservative actor and gun rights activist Charlton Heston (1923-2008). His personal collection, sold at Bonham’s in 2016, included a Theuerdank and plays from the Second Folio; it seems that he probably purchased this copy in Bath in 1988 while filming A Man for All Seasons, in which he played the titular role of Sir Thomas More. The recipient was his co-star, Benjamin Whitrow (1937-2017), who played Thomas Cromwell. The ESTC shows US copies at the Newberry, UCLA, Cincinnati, Yale, and Minnesota. * ESTC T3168 (4 locations in UK, 5 in US); Lowndes, The Bibliographer's Manual of English Literature II, 345.