The State Dunces. Inscribed to Mr. Pope.

The Volume is in Very Good Condition. Dis-bound, uncut, with some faint toning at the edges and a few small tears in the uncut sections.

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Written in heroic couplets and Indebted to Pope’s “The Dunciad”, Whitehead’s first notable satire, The State Dunces, was inscribed to Pope, and commanded some attention, going through five editions in 1733. Whitehead raises his sights to include politicians and church members and above all else Walpole. In many ways he anticipates the new Dunciad of 1742.

According to Foxon this is a later edition without the 24 lines of extra verse. Foxon W427

Please note that there are some who place this edition as in fact the First Printing and that Foxon’s reversal of the order of editions is not correct suggesting that the text has been expanded and revised for this version.

Per Wikipedia:

“Paul Whitehead (1710–1774) was a British satirist and a secretary to the infamous Hellfire Club.

While in prison Whitehead is said to have made his first literary efforts in the shape of political squibs. His first more elaborate production, “State Dunces”, a satire in heroic couplets, was published in 1733. It was inscribed to Pope, the first of whose ‘Imitations of Horace’ dates from the same year, and whose Dunciad had appeared in 1728. Pope’s rhythm, together with certain other characteristics of his satirical verse, is perhaps as successfully reproduced by Whitehead as by any contemporary writer; but he is altogether lacking in concentration and in anything like seriousness of purpose. The chief “State Dunce” is Walpole (Appius); others are Francis Hare, bishop of Chichester, and the Whig historian James Ralph.

The poem, which provoked an answer under the title of A Friendly Epistle, was sold to Robert Dodsley for £10.