The Works of Mr Abraham Cowley

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Abraham Cowley,

The Works of Mr Abraham Cowley

London: Printed by J. M. for Henry Herringman, at the Sign of the Blew Anchor in the Lower Walk of the New Exchange, 1668.

Here in the First Edition, bound in full 18th C calf.

$950.00

Here in the First Edition, bound in full 18th C calf.

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Here in the First Edition, bound in full 18th C calf.

The volume(s) measure about 29.5 cm. by 18.5 cm. by 4 cm.

Each leaf measures about 285 mm. by 180 mm.

The full title reads:

The Works of Mr Abraham Cowley. Consisting of those which were formerly printed: and those which he design’d for the press, now published out of the Authors Original Copies. London : printed by J[ohn]. M[acock]. for Henry Herringman, at the Sign of the Blew Anchor in the Lower Walk of the New Exchange, 1668.

The volume is paginated as follows: [44], 41, [1], 80, [4], 58, 61-70, 154, 23, [1], 148 p.

The volume collates as follows: [pi]2, B – C4, A2, a – e2, D -3C4, 3D – 3D2, 2A – S4, 2T2.

In this copy the preface is bound before ‘The life’.

Frontispiece portrait (pi1v) of the author signed on the left: W. Faithorne sculp 1687. Portrait is a replacement engraving from the 1687 Edition.

First Edition, Third State with the errata printed on the last page, uncorrected in the text. (See Bibliography section) Perkin B1. In this edition title page has “Press,” and no crossed “W”. Signature “B” is under the “us” of “fusa”. All press marks correspond with Perkin B1.

’The Mistress’, ’Pindarique odes’, and ’Davideis, a sacred poem’ have separate signed title pages on I2r, T2r and 2E2r respectively, with imprint: Printed for Henry Herringman, at the Sign of the Blew Anchor in the Lower Walk of the New Exchange. 1668. Pagination is separate, register is continuous.

ESTC: R9310. Wing C6649. Perkin, M.R. Abraham Cowley. A Bibliography, B1.

Bound in full mid 18th C. calf (circa 1750). The spine in six compartments with five raised bands with an 18th C red lettering piece in the second compartment from the top. The 18th C. boards and spine very good but with the lower front hinge starting and corners bumped.

Internally the leaves with generous margins and little in the way of foxing or stains. The title with red watercolor highlights.

Abraham Cowley (1618 – 1667) was an English poet born in the City of London late in 1618. He was one of the leading English poets of the 17th century, with 14 printings of his Works published between 1668 and 1721.

As per Perkin; “There were at least three complete printings of this first collected edition. In 1668/9, and from the presence or absence of the list of errata, and whether this was corrected or not, a number of intervening issues or states of the text evidently occur.”

Chronology as per Perkin:

B1: In three states. First Printing First State; last page without a list of errata. Second State; with a printed errata slip inserted. Third State; with the errata printed on the last page, not corrected in the text.

B2: Second Printing. The text reset in 1668 with the errata on the last page at first uncorrected and then later corrected. Crossed W’s in ‘Works’ and ‘Walk’ in the imprint on the general title and section title to The Mistress.

B3: Third Printing. Late 1668/early 1669 the text reset again with the general title dated 1668 and second titles 1669, and the errata on the last page uncorrected and then reset again with all the titles dated 1669 and the errata corrected in the text without errata on the last page.

No editions listed on the title for the different printings. The 1672 Edition would be listed as the Third Edition on the title.

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