Poems
by Thomas Chatterton (Rowley)
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
York, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
P O E M S
SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN
AT
B R I S T O L
BY
THOMAS ROWLEY, AND OTHERS,
IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.
══════════════════════════════════════════════
C A M B R I D G E :
J. AND J. MERRILL AND W. H. LUNN,
════
1794.
DESCRIPTION
(ii) + contents + xxix + 329 + (iv)
Book measures 215mm x 140mm approximately.
Bound in contemporary tan full polished flame calf. Spine with gilt-ruled bands with classical gilt motifs and decoration to compartments, and maroon title label. Gilt chain-link fillet border to both boards. Marbled paste-downs and end-papers. Small engraving to additional (half) title page. Glossary to rear.
CONDITION
The binding is holding firm and quite tight, albeit with some very early signs of cracking to lower front hinge. Spine and boards show some general wear, scuffs to board edges, the odd mark, and surface scratches, with variable bumping to corners. Internally the pages are generally quite clean throughout with occasional spots, increasing towards end-papers, and with marginal toning also to end-papers. A few foxed patches to title page(s). Bookplate removed from front paste-down taking the marbling paper away.
A very decent copy of Rowley's poems.
INTERESTING
Thomas Chatterton (1752 to 1770) was an English poet whose precocious talents ended in suicide at age 17. He was an influence on Romantic artists of the period such as Shelley, Keats, Wordsworth and Coleridge.
Although fatherless and raised in poverty, Chatterton was an exceptionally studious child, publishing mature work by the age of 11. He was able to pass off his work as that of an imaginary 15th-century poet called Thomas Rowley, chiefly because few people at the time were familiar with medieval poetry, though he was denounced by Horace Walpole.
At 17, he sought outlets for his political writings in London, having impressed the Lord Mayor, William Beckford, and the radical leader John Wilkes, but his earnings were not enough to keep him, and he poisoned himself in despair. His unusual life and death attracted much interest among the romantic poets, and Alfred de Vigny wrote a play about him that is still performed today. The oil painting The Death of Chatterton by Pre-Raphaelite artist Henry Wallis has enjoyed lasting fame.
Chatterton conceived the romance of Thomas Rowley, an imaginary monk of the 15th century, and adopted for himself the pseudonym Thomas Rowley for poetry and history. The persona was a complex interweaving of his upbringing by his Mother and Sister and his desire for a masculine hero. He imagined he would become a famous poet who by his talents would be able to rescue his mother from poverty.
Chatterton's death is much remarked. While walking along St Pancras Churchyard and much absorbed in thought, Chatterton took no notice of an open grave, newly dug in his path, and subsequently tumbled into it. His walking companion helped Chatterton and told him in a jocular manner that he was happy in assisting at the resurrection of genius. Chatterton replied, "My dear friend, I have been at war with the grave for some time now." Chatterton died by suicide three days later.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Melmoth Books (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- MB0105
- Title
- Poems
- Author
- Thomas Chatterton (Rowley)
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Merrill and Lunn
- Place of Publication
- Cambridge
- Date Published
- 1794
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
- Keywords
- poems poetry
Terms of Sale
Melmoth Books
About the Seller
Melmoth Books
About Melmoth Books
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- G
- Good describes the average used and worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects must be noted. (as defined by AB...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Hinge
- The portion of the book closest to the spine that allows the book to be opened and closed.
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Foxed
- Foxing is the age related browning, or brown-yellowish spots, that can occur to book paper over time. When this aging process...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- Paste-down
- The paste-down is the portion of the endpaper that is glued to the inner boards of a hardback book. The paste-down forms an...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...