Frustrating with these Amazon purchases.
I thought I was getting the one with the illustrations... but nothing.

Does anyone know which version(s) has the illustrations?
I have a 2020 edition published by Bibliotech (uuugggghhhh).

Who might you guess might know?

Or, at least know that the first English (George Allen 1902) and first American (G. P. Putnam's Sons 1902) have the illos?

And otherwise, know nothing of other editions, not owning any such, save the Image PB which is off somewhere unknown.

Thanks GKC.
Now it’s a matter of hunting them down.

I did message my priest asking if he or any of his priest friends have the book. Seems like something a priest might have (or know one who knows one)

I did some looking on BOOKFINDER, an online OP source I often use. Only two editions are particularly listed as having the illos: from George Allen & Unwin, 1949, and Thomas Nelson & Sons, undated. I would bet there are more, but none so stated. With those 2 editions you are in the $20-$25 range. No mention of the American 1st edition, so the offerings there are obviously not complete.

Thanks for taking the time to look into that, GKC.

I see that TAN books has one that has a Forward (but, gentlemen (opposed to Anglo-Saxons) call it a Preface)* by Charles Coulombe. So I had to buy it. I greatly enjoy reading (and listening to) Mr. Coulombe.

I'll let you know if it has the illustrations.


*Alittle joke from the book's Preface - according to Joseph Pearce that comment was Belloc's dig at Tolkien... Tolkien being the "Anglo-Saxon" while Belloc, the "Gentleman".

I got one from TAN Books... the one with the Introduction by Charles Couloumbe.
It does have the illustrations. One annoying thing is that they photocopied them but didn't do anything to try to enhance the contrast between light and dark. Most are still easily identifiable... but there are a couple where they might as well just left them out because they're completely bled out.

Happens a lot with modern reprints/repros. Even in what I think is my 1st American ed. (though it doesn't have all the marks), some of the dark pics are murky.

This is a pretty good book.
Belloc has moments of this dryness of humor that is really fun to read.

How I wish he would have written a book about his walking across America.

It was the first Belloc book I bought and read.

CHARACTERS OF THE REFORMATION was the 2nd.

A really fun read. Some very humorous moments where Belloc does this "Auctor/Lector" interlude. The man was funny.

One part had my laughing out loud... where Belloc refers to the Society for the Protection of Animals as the "Society for the Prevention of Annoyances to the Rich".

And next you will read THE FOUR MEN. Or should.