The Faerie Queen: The Shepheards Calendar; Together With the Other Works of England's Arch-Poet, Edm. Spenser
- Hardcover
- [London]: Mathew Lownes, 1611
[London]: Mathew Lownes, 1611. Hardcover. Near Fine. Hardcover. Edmund Spenser ( 1552 – 1599) was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of nascent Modern English verse, and he is considered one of the great poets in the English language. Spenser's masterpiece is the epic poem The Faerie Queene. The first three books of The Faerie Queene were published in 1590, and the second set of three books was published in 1596. Spenser originally indicated that he intended the poem to consist of twelve books, so the version of the poem we have today is incomplete. Despite this, it remains one of the longest poems in the English language.[21] It is an allegorical work, and can be read (as Spenser presumably intended) on several levels of allegory, including as praise of Queen Elizabeth I. In a completely allegorical context, the poem follows several knights in an examination of several virtues. In Spenser's "A Letter of the Authors", he states that the entire epic poem is "cloudily enwrapped in allegorical devises", and that the aim behind The Faerie Queene was to "fashion a gentleman or noble person in virtuous and gentle discipline." Spenser was called "the Poet's Poet" by Charles Lamb, and was admired by John Milton, William Blake, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Lord Byron, Alfred Tennyson and others. Among his contemporaries Walter Raleigh wrote a commendatory poem to The Faerie Queene in 1590 in which he claims to admire and value Spenser's work more so than any other in the English language. John Milton in his Areopagitica mentions "our sage and serious poet Spenser, whom I dare be known to think a better teacher than Scotus or Aquinas." ]Wikipedia]
This elegant volume is a reissue of the 1609 edition of "The Faerie Queene," with a title-page dated 1611, serving as a collective title page for the author's work. The colophon is dated 1609. 'The second part of "The Faerie Queene" has a separate title page dated 1609. 'A letter of the authors, expounding his whole intention in the course of this worke' has a caption title, and separate register. has a separate titlepage dated 1611, separate pagination, and register. 'Colin Clouts', 'Prothalamion', 'Amoretti and Epithalamion', 'Foure Hymnes', 'Daphnaida', and 'Complaints containing sundry small poemes of the worlds vanitie', 'The teares of the muses', and 'Muiopotmos, or The fate of the butterfly', have separate titlepages with the imprint: " Includes translations of Du Bellay's 'Les antiquitez de Rome' and 'Visions', Vergil's 'Gnat', and Petrarch's 'Visions'. Bound in a later full brown leather with gilt rulings on the covers and an ornately gilt decorated spine with titling, author, and date. Very slight wear along spine edges. Unobtrusive light mark on front cover. Handsome decorated margins to front and rear pastedowns. The decorated margins have caused offsetting to the first and last free endpapers. This is a masterful binding but is unsigned. The front free endpaper has a closed tear on its bottom half. Previous owners have written notes in pencil to the front pastedown and front free endpaper with brief information about each section. The front pastedown has a label with the initials "AHA" that has also offset to the free front endpaper. Gilt edges to top, fore-edge, and bottom page edges. Text pages are clean and legible with the slightest darkening to paper. An altogether lovely copy of this famous and important edition of Spenser's works in near fine condition. Measures 7.25 x 10.5 inches. Faerie Queen: 363 pages; Shepheard's Calendar: 56 pages. The shorter works are not paginated. POET/073025.
This elegant volume is a reissue of the 1609 edition of "The Faerie Queene," with a title-page dated 1611, serving as a collective title page for the author's work. The colophon is dated 1609. 'The second part of "The Faerie Queene" has a separate title page dated 1609. 'A letter of the authors, expounding his whole intention in the course of this worke' has a caption title, and separate register. has a separate titlepage dated 1611, separate pagination, and register. 'Colin Clouts', 'Prothalamion', 'Amoretti and Epithalamion', 'Foure Hymnes', 'Daphnaida', and 'Complaints containing sundry small poemes of the worlds vanitie', 'The teares of the muses', and 'Muiopotmos, or The fate of the butterfly', have separate titlepages with the imprint: " Includes translations of Du Bellay's 'Les antiquitez de Rome' and 'Visions', Vergil's 'Gnat', and Petrarch's 'Visions'. Bound in a later full brown leather with gilt rulings on the covers and an ornately gilt decorated spine with titling, author, and date. Very slight wear along spine edges. Unobtrusive light mark on front cover. Handsome decorated margins to front and rear pastedowns. The decorated margins have caused offsetting to the first and last free endpapers. This is a masterful binding but is unsigned. The front free endpaper has a closed tear on its bottom half. Previous owners have written notes in pencil to the front pastedown and front free endpaper with brief information about each section. The front pastedown has a label with the initials "AHA" that has also offset to the free front endpaper. Gilt edges to top, fore-edge, and bottom page edges. Text pages are clean and legible with the slightest darkening to paper. An altogether lovely copy of this famous and important edition of Spenser's works in near fine condition. Measures 7.25 x 10.5 inches. Faerie Queen: 363 pages; Shepheard's Calendar: 56 pages. The shorter works are not paginated. POET/073025.