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Philips, John; Sewell, Thomas.
The Works of Mr. John Philips, Late Student of Christ-Church, Oxon. Viz. I The Splendid Shilling: An Imitation of Milton. II: Blenheim: A Poem, inscrib’d to the Rt Honorable Robert Harley, Esq; III: Cyder: A Poem. In Two Books. IV: Ode ad Henricum St. John Armig. V: The Same Translated by Mr. Newcomb. To Which is Prexifed his Life by Mr Sewell.
Publisher: Printed for J. Tonson in the Strand and, T. Jauncy at the Temple without Temple-Bar, Loldon [sic.];
Date of Publication: 1720
Stock Code: 15212
Nonce-volume first issued with this title by Edmund Curll in 1713, this copy the first issued by Tonson with significant textual differences: one leaf of prefatory material to Sewell’s life dated 1719 (suggesting new edition), ‘Blenheim’ stated sixth edition, ‘Cyder’ has a 1708 title-page and is independently registered and signed, as usual. Octavo in half-sheets, pp., [2], xxxix, [1], 60; [4], 89, [1], sig., [pi1] a-e⁴ B-C⁴ (C4 has not been folded over as a half-title) 2C⁴ D-G⁴ H2; [A1] B-F⁸ G⁴ H², plus two engraved frontispieces by Michael Van Gucht, decorative woodcut capitals, head- and tailpieces throughout. Collated and complete, despite the erratic registration. Contemporary Cambridge-style panel calf, floral stamps in blind to corners, floral rolls in blind to central panel; edges sprinkled red; laid end-papers. Small, neat later ownership inscription in ink to front free end-paper; occasional marginal annotations in pencil to ‘Cyder’. Upper board holding on by a thread; light rubbing to leather. Contents clean and in good order. A complete, unrestored copy. A ‘Curllian’ collection of poetry, unusually issued by the publisher who was originally to issue much of Philips’ work. John Philips (1676-1709) was an English poet in the school of Milton. Addison celebrated his Splendid Shilling (included here) as ‘the finest burlesque poem in the English language’. Philip’s works were published, sometimes without his consent, during his lifetime, but were not issued as a ‘collected works’ until after his death. The notorious bookseller Edmund Curll gathered, in 1708, remaindered copies of Philips works, and issued them without authority as a nonce-volume with a brief biography by his longtime collaborator Thomas Sewell. This edition announces itself on the title-page as the same volume as Curll’s clandestine collected works, but is bizarrely the product of Jacob Tonson, the bookseller who had authority to published much of Philips’ work. This edition comprises the complete works of the poet, with some minor additions. Ignored (as with most nonce-volumes) by the bibliographers, the textual differences in this edition are yet to be enumerated. £95.00