1710 Ambrose Philips Pastorals H Hills Tudor Rose Alexander Pope Rivalry For Sale

OverviewAn original 1710 London printing of Ambrose Philips’s Pastorals, a collection of six poems at the center of one of the best-known literary rivalries of the early eighteenth century.Philips’s pastorals were published alongside those of the young Alexander Pope in Jacob Tonson’s celebrated poetic miscellany and soon became the focus of a highly public literary dispute. Philips was championed by the Whig literary circle surrounding Joseph Addison and Richard Steele, while Pope ultimately responded with a famously ironic comparison of their respective pastoral poetry in The Guardian.Philips developed a distinctly English form of pastoral, drawing upon Spenser and placing shepherds with names such as Lobbin, Thenot, Colinet, Geron, Hobbinol, and Lanquet within an English rural and political landscape. Beneath the pastoral setting, the poems engage with contemporary concerns surrounding Queen Anne, patronage, national politics, and the Protestant succession.This inexpensive H. Hills edition brought Philips’s poetry to a broad reading public shortly after its first appearance and retains the title-page price of “Two-pence.”Scarce in commerce, particularly in its original separately issued pamphlet form.Edition DetailsAuthor: Ambrose Philips (1674–1749)
Title: Pastorals, by Mr. Philips
Place: London
Printer / Publisher: Printed and Sold by H. Hills, in Black-Fryars, near the Water-Side
Date: 1710
Format: Octavo
Pagination: 24 pages
Signatures: A8, B4
Reference: ESTC N10999; Foxon P211This particular 1710 setting is identifiable by the Tudor rose vignette on the title page and the printed price “Two-pence.” Hills issued several settings of Philips’s Pastorals in 1710 with differing ornaments and typography.The six pastorals conclude on page 24 with “FINIS.”ConditionVery good overall for a separately issued pamphlet of 1710.The pamphlet remains stitched and bound as a unit, with exposed thread and some loosening and wear along the spine. The title leaf shows light edge wear, a crease/fold at the lower outer corner, and a small manuscript notation near the upper margin.Paper is evenly age-toned with scattered spotting, light soiling, occasional stains, and handling wear. Interior printing remains strong and clearly legible, with generally clean and well-preserved text leaves.Complete through page 24, ending with “FINIS.”Please review photographs for condition. Photographs form part of the item description.ShippingItem will be shipped fully insured with signature required upon receipt.