Books

8vo, pp. vii, [i], 64; bound third in a volume with nine other poems (see below); a fine and attractive volume in early calf, the covers stamped in basket-weave pattern, spine richly gilt, morocco label, marbled endpapers and edges. (Upper joint beginning to crack, otherwise in very good condition.) Early armorial bookplate of the Rev. W.W. Holland, Chichester, and manuscript list of contents (perhaps in his hand) on free endpaper. A splendid volume of poetry, nicely presented with the spine labelled 'Minor Poems'. This is true for all but one of the pamphlets here — nobody today would describe either Christabel or Kubla Khan as 'minor' but the accompanying poems certainly put Coleridge's two masterpieces into context. All the publications in this volume were issued by the firm of John Murray, at the time when it stood highest among London publishers: Byron was Murray's greatest success, of course, but Scott and Jane Austen were being published by him at exactly this time, as well as many other authors of lesser importance. This collection must have been assembled by going into 50 Albemarle St and picking out a number of current pamphlets that would have interested the buyer. On the other hand, they could well be a present from the publisher: the first owner was the Rev. William Woollams Holland (1785-1855), educated at Oxford and at this time vicar-choral at Chichester Cathedral. More importantly, he was married to Jane Murray (b. 1780), known as Jenny, elder sister of the publisher: they had at least one son, John Murray Holland (1818-77), who was a fellow of New College Oxford, and who followed his father into the church. When the elder John Murray had died in 1793, Jenny and her mother and sisters had gone to live in Shropshire, where she met and married William Holland in 1809, but she retained an interest in the family business: Zachs notes that she and her elder brother John were actively pursuing the firm's assets in 1800, at about the time that John gained effective control. The other works bound in here are: 1. [CROLY, George.] PARIS IN 1815. A poem. London: John Murray. 1817. 8vo, pp. [iii]-xii, [iii], 75, [1]. Jackson, Annals, p. 423. First edition 2. SCOTT, Walter. THE FIELD OF WATERLOO; a poem. Edinburgh: printed by James Ballantyne & co, for Archibald Constable and co. Edinburgh; and. John Murray, London. 1815. 8vo, pp. 56. Todd & Bowden 84Aa; Jackson p. 392. First edition. 3. [MALCOLM, Sir John.] PERSIA: A POEM. With notes. Second edition. London. John Murray. 1814. 8vo, pp. [iv], 38. Rare: neither the first nor this edition mentioned in Jackson, Annals. Malcolm (1769-1833) published his standard History of Persia the following year. 4. [KNIGHT, Henry Gally.] ILDERIM: A SYRIAN TALE. London: printed for John Murray. 1816. 8vo, pp. [vi], 74. Jackson p. 406. First edition. 5. HEMANS, Felicia Dorothea. THE RESTORATION OF THE WORKS OF ART TO ITALY: a poem. Second edition. Oxford. for J. Murray. 1816. 8vo, pp. [viii], 37. Jackson p. 412. 6. SMEDLEY, Edward. THE DEATH OF SAUL AND JONATHAN. A poem. London. for John Murray. 1814. 8vo, pp. [viii], 33. Jackson p. 378. First edition. 7. SMEDLEY, Edward. JONAH. A poem. London. for John Murray. 1815. 8vo, pp. [iv], 24, [4]. Jackson p. 394. First edition. 8. SMEDLEY, Edward. JEPHTHAH. A poem. London. for John Murray. 1814. 8vo, pp. [iv], 27, [1]. Jackson p. 380. First edition. 9. [CROKER, John Wilson.] THE BATTLES OF TALAVERA. A poem. Eighth edition, with some additions. London. for John Murray. 1810. 8vo, frontispiece portrait of Wellington, engraved map and pp. 43; slightly foxed. Jackson p. 335.