MILTON, John (1608-1674). Paradise Lost. A Poem in Ten Books . London: Printed by S. Simmons, and to be sold by S. Thomson, H. Mortlack, M. Walker and R. Boulter, 1668. Small 4 o (181 x 131 mm). Two title-pages (see variants below), with seven leaves containing "The Printer to the Reader," "The Argument," "The Verse" and "Errata". (N3 with short marginal tear, a few insignificant foxmarks.) Modern dark blue morocco, gilt-lettered on spine, small crest on covers stamped in gilt, board edges gilt, turn-ins gilt, edges gilt; preserving two flyleaves from an earlier binding, the rear flyleaf a portion of the ream wrapper with the papermaker's mark stamped in red. Provenance : unidentified owner (reference in Deakin's letter below), gift to -- John Osmond Deakin (late 18th-early 19th century), Reader and Preacher at St. Mary's: ALS bound in at front -- Thomas Frognall Didbin (1776-1847), English bibliographer: ALS bound in at front, giving the book to -- Sir Francis Freeling (1764-1836), English postal reformer, member of the Roxburghe Club: gilt crest on covers -- Joseph Neald (19th century): armorial bookplate -- Frederic Dannay, sale, Christie's New York, 16 December 1983, lot 242. FIRST EDITION, Amory's no. 2 issue (Shawcross's 4th) with imprint of S. Simmons (traditionally the fourth title-page) and containing his no. 1a FIRST TITLE-PAGE with imprint of Peter Parker bound at front (traditionally the third title-page). Of this first edition, 1,200 copies are thought to have been printed and the issues are distinguished by the imprints on the title-pages. The text of the work is identical in all cases, save for a few typographical errors. This is a copy with a distinguished provenance, containing revealing autograph letters bound at front. The earlier letter (bound after the later) is from John Osmond Deakin, 7 John St., Oxford St., 19 December 1826, to Dibdin, 2 pp., 8vo , explaining the gift: "In disturbing the sanctity of cobwebs wch have taken possession of my books at Camb: I discovered a first Edition of Milton (with the title pages of 1668) wch I think will receive more regard from you than it does from me... You set a value on the 'genus' to wch this book belongs, and it cannot be under better protection than yours... The binding is I believe the original one, it having been given to me by a member of an old family and a possessor of an old library." The second letter is by Thomas Frognall Dibdin, n.p., Xmas Day 1826, to an unnamed correspondent (Sir Francis Freeling), 4 pp., 8vo . In it, Dibdin explains the gift of this copy of Paradise Lost from Deakin: "a clean, sound & unsophisticated copy of the first edition ... with the two title-pages ... The book hath its original sheepskin binding." He offers it to Freeling as a Christmas present. Four cut stubs show evidence of other letters in the correspondence which probably concern this copy before rebinding. Hugh Amory, "Things Unattempted Yet," in The Book Collector , Spring 1983, pp. 41-66; Grolier English 33; Shawcross 299 ("Edition 1, issue 4"); Wing M2139; Wither to Prior 602.
MILTON, John (1608-1674). Paradise Lost. A Poem in Ten Books . London: Printed by S. Simmons, and to be sold by S. Thomson, H. Mortlack, M. Walker and R. Boulter, 1668. Small 4 o (181 x 131 mm). Two title-pages (see variants below), with seven leaves containing "The Printer to the Reader," "The Argument," "The Verse" and "Errata". (N3 with short marginal tear, a few insignificant foxmarks.) Modern dark blue morocco, gilt-lettered on spine, small crest on covers stamped in gilt, board edges gilt, turn-ins gilt, edges gilt; preserving two flyleaves from an earlier binding, the rear flyleaf a portion of the ream wrapper with the papermaker's mark stamped in red. Provenance : unidentified owner (reference in Deakin's letter below), gift to -- John Osmond Deakin (late 18th-early 19th century), Reader and Preacher at St. Mary's: ALS bound in at front -- Thomas Frognall Didbin (1776-1847), English bibliographer: ALS bound in at front, giving the book to -- Sir Francis Freeling (1764-1836), English postal reformer, member of the Roxburghe Club: gilt crest on covers -- Joseph Neald (19th century): armorial bookplate -- Frederic Dannay, sale, Christie's New York, 16 December 1983, lot 242. FIRST EDITION, Amory's no. 2 issue (Shawcross's 4th) with imprint of S. Simmons (traditionally the fourth title-page) and containing his no. 1a FIRST TITLE-PAGE with imprint of Peter Parker bound at front (traditionally the third title-page). Of this first edition, 1,200 copies are thought to have been printed and the issues are distinguished by the imprints on the title-pages. The text of the work is identical in all cases, save for a few typographical errors. This is a copy with a distinguished provenance, containing revealing autograph letters bound at front. The earlier letter (bound after the later) is from John Osmond Deakin, 7 John St., Oxford St., 19 December 1826, to Dibdin, 2 pp., 8vo , explaining the gift: "In disturbing the sanctity of cobwebs wch have taken possession of my books at Camb: I discovered a first Edition of Milton (with the title pages of 1668) wch I think will receive more regard from you than it does from me... You set a value on the 'genus' to wch this book belongs, and it cannot be under better protection than yours... The binding is I believe the original one, it having been given to me by a member of an old family and a possessor of an old library." The second letter is by Thomas Frognall Dibdin, n.p., Xmas Day 1826, to an unnamed correspondent (Sir Francis Freeling), 4 pp., 8vo . In it, Dibdin explains the gift of this copy of Paradise Lost from Deakin: "a clean, sound & unsophisticated copy of the first edition ... with the two title-pages ... The book hath its original sheepskin binding." He offers it to Freeling as a Christmas present. Four cut stubs show evidence of other letters in the correspondence which probably concern this copy before rebinding. Hugh Amory, "Things Unattempted Yet," in The Book Collector , Spring 1983, pp. 41-66; Grolier English 33; Shawcross 299 ("Edition 1, issue 4"); Wing M2139; Wither to Prior 602.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
