The Poetical Works [With a Memoir and 21 Steel Engravings]

Cowper, William, 1731-1800

Edité par Charles Daly, Greville Street - Hatten Garden, London, 1840

This mid-Victorian edition of William Cowper's verse is a prime example of the high-period steel engraving movement, featuring twenty-one plates including a frontispiece and an engraved title page by G. Stanfast. Cowper was a pivotal figure in the transition toward Romanticism, known for his introspective nature poetry and his vocal condemnation of the slave trade. This volume, published by Charles Daly during the 1840s, represents the popular Victorian effort to present Cowper as both a moral exemplar and a master of the English landscape. KEY FEATURES +++ Visuals: Twenty-one tissue-guarded steel engravings, including a portrait frontispiece and an engraved title page by G. Stanfast. +++ Binding: Full decorative leather with five raised bands, gilt dentelles, and vibrant all-edges gilt. +++ Content: Includes a comprehensive memoir of the author and the complete poetical works. +++ Imprint: Charles Daly, Greville Street, Hatton Garden. [c. 1840]. +++ Specs: 6.375 inches tall; ix, 492 pages followed by a 7-page publisher's catalogue. CONDITION: Very Good -- Bound in a sophisticated 19th-century full dark leather (likely goatskin/morocco) with intricate gilt-tooled borders and spine compartments; all edges gilt (AEG). While the style hints at later craftsmanship, the construction suggests a mid-to-late 19th-century binding rather than 20th-century. Exhibits minimal shelf handling with a tiny rub to the spine head and top front joint. Internally clean; lacking the front free endpaper. Previous bookseller notes present on the first blank. HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE -- William Cowper (1731-1800) was one of the most widely read English poets of the late 18th century. His work, specifically 'The Task', provided a bridge between the formal structures of Alexander Pope and the naturalistic emotionalism of Wordsworth. A fervent Evangelical Christian, Cowper's life was marked by bouts of severe depression and religious crisis, which infused his poetry with a distinct, introspective melancholy. Beyond his literary contributions, Cowper was a significant figure in the British abolitionist movement. His poems, such as 'The Negro's Complaint', were utilized by social reformers to humanize enslaved Africans and condemn the dehumanization inherent in the slave trade. This 1840 edition captures his enduring popularity during the early Victorian era, where his evangelical themes and social conscience resonated deeply with the public. SUBJECTS: English Poetry, 18th Century Literature, Abolitionist History, Victorian Bookbinding, Steel Engravings, Fine Bindings, Illustrated Books, Victorian Literature. N° de réf. du vendeur 21631

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : The Poetical Works [With a Memoir and 21 ...
Éditeur : Charles Daly, Greville Street - Hatten Garden, London
Date d'édition : 1840
Etat : Near Fine
Etat de la jaquette : No Dust Jacket, As Issued