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[Kendrew, James.]
The Cabinet of Love, or, Cupid's Pastime.
Publisher: Printed by J. Kendrew, Colliergate York;
Date of Publication: 1815
Stock Code: 15363
Duodecimo pamphlet in six, pp., 12, woodblock cupid vignette to title-page. Sewn on a single thread, reinforced with glued paper to spine. Later pencil inscription to penultimate page. Nicks and a little fraying to edges; light soiling and toning; a few ink spots. A very serviceable copy. A rare nineteenth-century comical guide to courtship. The contents include a Valentines poem written backwards (with printer’s errors only compounding the difficulty in reading it), followed by amorous poems designed for various people indeed including printers, bookbinders, watchmakers, carpenters, and knights of the razor. Interestingly, not all of the poems are written to be read by men, with poems ‘to a solider’, ‘to a mechanic’ etc. presumably being written for women to read to potential male suitors. Most of the poems are followed by answers. Single life in Regency York must have been difficult, as all the answers are rejections. £225.00