BOOKS FAMOUS IN ENGLISH LITERATURE

Turnbull Library Record, Volume 2, 1 July 1940, Page 13

BOOKS FAMOUS IN ENGLISH LITERATURE

BRONTE, Charlotte. Jane Eyre : An autobiography, by Currer Bell. Third edition. 3 vols. London, 1848. Original cloth binding. Of the works of the three Bronte sisters, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte, enjoys the greatest repute, but it is intertsting that of recent years, more recognition has been given to Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, and also to her poetry. The first edition of Jane Eyre appeared in 1847.

CHAUCER, Geoffrey. The Workes of Geoffrey Chaucer newly printed, wyth dyvers workes which were never in print before . . . London, 1542. Calf binding. This is the second collected edition of Chaucer’s works ; the first appeared in 1532, and the earliest edition of The Canterbury Tales in 1478. Printed in black letter with a number of woodcuts, this copy came from the famous collection of Henry Huth.

DRYDEN, John. Absalom and Achitophel. A poem . . . London, 1681-2. (In two parts.) Mottled calf bound by Riviere. Esteemed as one of the greatest satires in English, it was the first of several. den’s fame rests equally upon his many successful dramatic works.

FITZGERALD, Edward. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, reprinted privately from the London edition ; with an extract from the Calcutta Review ... a note by M. Garcin de Tassy and a few additional quatrains. Madras, 1862. Blue Morocco bound by Riviere. This is the second edition, for the London one was published with poor attention in 1859. The Calcutta Review article was by Professor E. B. Cowell. In this copy are five extra stanzas in MS., and a number of corrections, presumably in the hand of Dr. Whitley Stokes, the translator of the “ additional quatrains.”

LIOLINSHEAD, Raphaele. The first (second) volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande and Irelande. 2 vols. London, 1577. Original calf binding with brass bosses. One of the first great histories, and famous not only for the great number of authorities cited, but also since it was used extensively for plots by Shakespeare and other Elizabethan dramatists.

JOHNSON, Samuel. A Dictionary of the English Language : in which the words are deduced from their originals. 2 vols., London, 1755. Calf binding.

Much has been said of this remarkable work, but its importance lies in its comprehensiveness at the time ; and the fact that it was the first to cite passages from accepted authors in demonstrating the usage of words. The individuality of the compiler is clear in many of his definitions, but as a whole it is to be regarded as a monument of scholarship.

JONSON, Benjamin. The Works of Benjamin Jonson. 2 vols. London, 1616-40. Morocco bound by Riviere. Most of the individual plays in these two collections were first issued separately as quartos. The 1640 volume is famous for Jonson’s mention of his acquaintance with Shakespeare and his method of working.

KEATS, John. Lamia Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes and other Poems. London, 1820. Blue Morocco bound by Zaehnsdorf. This volume includes the Ode to a Nightingale and Ode on a Grecian Urn among others. The other two of Keats’ works are equally scarce— Poems, 1817, Endymion, 1818.

LAMB, Charles. Elia. Essays which have appeared under that signature in the London Magazine. London, 1823. Calf bound by Bedford. The Second Series was issued in 1828 in Philadelphia and in 1833 in London.

LOCKE, John. An Essay concerning humane understanding. In four books. London, 1690. Panelled calf binding. Professor A. C. Fraser wrote of this : Few books in the literature of philosophy have so widely represented the spirit of the age and country in which they appeared, or have so influenced opinion afterwards ...

LYLY, John. Euphues and his England. London, 1605. Calf binding. This is the second part of Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit issued first in 1579. This second part appeared in 1580, but the earlier editions are known in two or three copies only. Even of this edition, fewer than six copies appear to be known. The immense popularity of the work is obvious, and its repute as a classic continues.

MASSINGER, Philip. A new way to pay old debts. A comedy. London, 1633. Morocco bound by Zaehnsdorf. This is the most important of the plays of Massinger. James Russell Lowell describes him as one of the most delightful of the old dramatists for his love of those things that are lovely in human nature, and for his “ equable flow of good every-day kind of poetry.”

MILTON, John. Paradise Lost. A poem written in ten books. London, 1667. Morocco bound by Riviere. This has the first title page (according to Masson) of the remarkable series of nine associated with the first printing of Paradise Lost. The library has five of these nine variants. (Fuller details of the Milton Collection will appear in a later issue of this “ Record.”)

MIROUR for Magistrates, A : Being a true chronicle historic of the untimely falles of such unfortunate princess and men of note. London, 1610. This is the first full edition of the Mirror which was published first in 1559. Richard Niccols compiled all the preceding editions into one volume, with certain omissions and additions of his own. This volume was formerly owned by David Garrick, and has his initials on the title page. A dedicatory sonnet to the Earl of Nottingham was suppressed, but is present in this copy.

MOTLEY, John Lothrop. The Rise of the Dutch Republic. A history. 3 vols. London, 1854. Original cloth binding. With Gibbon and Macaulay, Motley is to be regarded as one of the greatest historians. This work was widely recognised in its day and still retains its authority. It was continued as The United Netherlands in 1860. Motley was an American, educated largely abroad, where his research for these histories was done.

NEWMAN, John Henry. Apologia pro vita sua. London, 1864. Half calf binding. Arising from a controversy with Charles Kingsley, this most revealing and powerful “ confession ” both served its purpose completely, and has ranked highly among religious literature ever since.

PAINE, Thomas. Rights of Man : being an answer to Mr. Burke’s attack. London, 1791. It is interesting to notice that this was dedicated to George Washington, then President of the United States of America, whose political freedom he admired. He is the only English writer who expresses with uncompromising sharpness the abstract doctrine of political rights held by the French Revolutionists.

POE, Edgar Allen. The Raven and other poems. New York, 1845. Half calf binding, in Morocco case. This copy was presented by the author to Mrs. M. Louisa Houghton, who figures to some extent among his circle of friends. It was later the property of the noted collector, S. M. Samuel.

POPE, Alexander. An Essay on Man. Addressed to a friend. Four parts in 1 vol. London, 1733-4. Morocco bound by Riviere.

From the bibliographical point of view, the presence of the leaf of advertisement at the end of part 4, as here, is important. Shenstone, writing of the Essay on Man, says : “ I think no English poet ever brought so much sense into the same number of lines with equal smoothness, ease and poetical beauty.”

RICHARDSON, Samuel. Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady : comprehending the most important concerns of private life. 7 vols. London, 1748-9. The first edition of Vol. 1 was issued in 1748, but of this set vols. 1 and 4 are the second edition. In vol. 1 is the following inscription “ Sarah Godschall presented her by the Author.”

RUSKIN, John. The Stones of Venice. 3 vols. London, 1851-3. Calf bound by Nutt. As one of the most powerful influences on art in the nineteenth century, this holds a high place. The volumes were illustrated, with some plates in colour, by the author.

SHAKESPEARE, William. Mr. William Shakespeare’s comedies, histories, and tragedies. The second impression. London, 1632. Calf bound by Dodd and Peeling. This is the second folio edition, acquired by Mr. Turnbull mainly because of his interest in Milton, whose “ Epitaph on the admirable dramaticke poet, W. Shakespeare ” here appears as his first work in print. This edition includes more than that of 1623, and less than that of 1663 : it is substantially what is accepted to-day as the complete plays, except for Pericles Prince of Tyre.

SMOLLETT, Tobias. The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker, by the author of Roderick Random. 3 vols. London, 1671. (1771.) Calf binding. Volumes 2 and 3 are correctly dated, but most copies of vol. 1 carry the misprint. Humphrey Clinker is probably the earliest of humorous novels.

SPENSER, Edmund. The Faerie Queen ; The Shepheards Calendar, together with the other works of England’s Arch-poet. London, 1611. Morocco bound by Riviere. This is the first collected edition. The first publication was in two small volumes in 1590 and 1596. This edition is remarkable for its dedication to Queen Elizabeth “ to live with the eternitie of her fame.”

STERNE, Laurence. A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy, by Mr. Yorick. 2 vols. London, 1768. Calf bound by Riviere.

This is another important milestone in the development of the novel. Even at this stage, such works were popular enough to warrant 2,500 being published of a first edition.

STOWE, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin : or, Life Among the Lowly. 2 vols. Boston, 1852. Original cloth binding. It is unusual to find a work which was so widely read in such perfect condition. Probably more than any other book, this has left its influence, for it contributed greatly to the emancipation of slaves in America. This copy has the name “ A A. Foster, Boston, 1852,” written on the fly leaves.

SWIFT, Jonathan. Travels into several remote nations of the world. In four parts. By Lemuel Gulliver. 2 vols. London, 1726. Morocco binding (in 1 vol.). Bibliographically, this is the first issue of the first edition, and on large paper. It is generally recognised as one of the most original works of fiction, having qualities of verisimilitude remarkable for so imaginative a narrative.

TENNYSON, Alfred, Lord. In Memoriam. London, 1850. Original cloth binding.

It is not easy now to appreciate the immense popularity that met edition after edition of his many individual works. His books published before 1840 are far rarer, but probably In Memoriam is Tennyson’s highest achievement.

THACKERAY, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. A novel without a hero. London, 1848. 20 parts in 19, Morocco bound by Zaehnsdorf, with Turnbull arms.

It is not common to find a full set of the original parts of this famous publication, and from a bibliographic point of view the inclusion of all wrappers, as here, is very desirable.

WALLER, Edmund. Poems, &c. written by Mr. Ed. Waller. London, 1645. Morocco bound by Zaehnsdorf. As was not unusual in this age, these poems circulated in manuscript for some time and were in the same year printed surreptitiously, necessitating this authorised and correct edition.

WHITE, Gilbert. The Natural History and Antiquities of Selbourne. London, 1789. Calf binding. One of the most delightful of early essays on natural life. For its careful observation as much as for its literary grace it holds its place among great books.

WORDSWORTH, William. Lyrical Ballads with a few other poems. Vol. 1. Bristol, 1798 ; vol. 2, London, 1800. Half calf binding. Only seven copies of this rare Bristol edition are known. The volumes are additionally notable for S. T. Coleridge’s four contributions, including “ The Ancient Mariner.” On the title pages is written the name “A. Sloper, West Jesmond, July, 1801.”