Books

London: William Ponsonbie/Ponsonby, 1596. FIRST EDITION OF BOTH PARTS, printing the complete text of the Spenser's classic work, except for two cantos of Mutabilitie which did not appear until the folio edition of 1609. The first part (Vol. I) with the widely spaced date line on title and the "1" of "1590" under the "r" of "for" in the imprint, printed dedication on verso of title-page, also p. 332 lines 4 and 5 without the Welsh words and spaces left for them, leaves Pp6-8 (the rejected version of the terminal complimentary sonnets) supplied from another copy; with the final signature Qq1-4 printing the final version of the sonnets. With the misnumbering of pages as noted in Pforzheimer, except that on pp. 486-7, which are correctly numbered, and with the number "3" is present at p. 403 (but printed backwards). The second part has the misnumberings noted in Pforzheimer, in addition, p. 269 is misnumbered 271. Woodcut printer's device on each title [McKerrow 242 & 222],…

The Faerie Queene is a celebrated epic poem by Edmund Spenser, first published in 1590. The poem is an allegory praising Queen Elizabeth I and reflecting the values and ideologies of Elizabethan England. It is one of the longest poems in the English language and is renowned for its richly imaginative narrative and moral allegory.

The first edition of 'The Faerie Queene' can be identified by the presence of the original publisher's colophon and the year '1590' on the title page.