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Samuel Johnson 4 Vol Set Lives of Eminent English Poets 1781

Samuel Johnson 4 Vol Set Lives of Eminent English Poets 1781

$ 61.78

The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets; with Critical Observations on Their Works. Samuel Johnson Printed for C. Bathurst, J. Buckland, W. Strahan, etc , London (1781_ 5.5"x8.5", B/W frontispiece...

Description

The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets; with Critical Observations on Their Works. Samuel Johnson Printed for C. Bathurst, J. Buckland, W. Strahan, etc , London (1781_ 5.5"x8.5", B/W frontispieces Tree design leather over boards with gilt Greek key designs. This is a very early edition of this series. Some of its features include: * Simply gorgeous polished leather covers in "tree" pattern. * Beautiful gold tooling to edges and spines. * Fabric ribbon markers. * Engraved frontis to volume 1. * Velvety watermarked paper. * Marbled cover sheets. * Elegant 18th century typography. Condition Notes: Overall, except for the hinges and spines, the volumes are in Good Condition. * Covers: Covers are detached on all four volumes. Vols. 3 and 4 have sleght abrasions and stains to front covers. * Spine: Moderate to heavy abrasion and deletions to spine cover and caps. * Gutters: Despite detached covers, the gutters are unsplit. * Binding: Still solid, square and tight. * Cover Sheets: Beautiful condition with only a minimum of handling or dirt * Text Block: Square with only the most modest foxing or page aging. * Notations/Book Plates: Light prior owner pencil notation to first blank page of vol.1. Vol I: Missing over half of spine, two 2cm abrasions to front board, two lighter abrasions to rear board (Note that we're not completely sure we have the boards matched to the right volume...). Vol II, missing about half of the upper third of spine. Vol III missimg lower 5cm of spine. Vol IV, missing large part of upper spine. All have small abrasions as well. More photos available; contact us with any questions. Johnson's The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets; with Critical Observations on Their Works relates how poets competed, quarreled and reconciled, hustled publishers and patrons, conversed, caroused, and courted, suffered neglect, fled from bailiffs and creditors, "snatched that temporary relief with which the table and the bottle flatter and seduce," battled critics (often other poets), haggled with booksellers, and squeezed out the hours to write poetry. All of Johnson's poets lived between 1605 and 1773, all wrote in English (some in Latin too), and all are men, yet their company admits a murderer, a glutton, a libertine, clerks, clerics, lords, rascals of several species, the author of a "Discourse on Dysentery," and a gang of university men. [Project Muse]

Specifics

Author

Samuel Johnson

Binding

Leather

Language

English

Original/Facsimile

Original

Place of Publication

London, UK

Publisher

C. Bathhurst, et al.

Signed

No

Subject

Biography and criticism

Topic

Poetry

Year Printed

1781

Reviews

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  2. William Hub7

    The package arrived in a reasonable time, USPS. It came in bubble-wrapping inside a sturdy cardboard box. The book was exacky as described and in the pictures. This is an excellent value, I will buy from this seller again!

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