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The Lusiad; or, the Discovery of India. MICKLE (William Julius).

£500.00

THE GIFT OF A SUBSCRIBER

The Lusiad; or, the Discovery of India. An Epic Poem. Translated from the Original Portuguese of Luis De Camoens.

First Edition. 4to. [266 x 211 x 50 mm]. [6]ff, clxvii, [ii], 152, 155-484 pp. Bound in contemporary sprinkled calf, the covers with a gilt roll border. The spine divided into six panels with raised bands, lettered in the second on a red goatskin label, the first, fourth and sixth tooled to a lattice pattern, the third and fifth with flowers and small tools, the edges of the boards tooled with a gilt roll, plain endleaves and edges. (Rubbed with loss of gilt, short cracks at head and foot of joints and loss to lower headcap).

Oxford: printed by Jackson and Lister; and sold by Cadell, Dilly, Bew, Flexney, Evans, Richardson and Urquhart, and Goodsman, 1776

Title a little foxed and early patch repair to tear in outer margin pp.479-80. A good clean copy. The binding has faded but was clearly quite grand. There is an ink inscription at the head of the title "Thomas Crane Johnstone a gift of John Irving Esquire of the Temple" and with the signature of John Johnstone dated 1808. The front free endleaf is covered in ink manuscript notes, seemingly in the same hand as the gift inscription.

There is an impressive list of subscribers, including John Irving Esq. of the Temple, London. It is possible that Thomas Crane Johnstone (1755-1799) may have been related to Mickle's patron, Commodore George Johnstone (1730-87). William Julius Mickle (1734/5-1788) had a varied career as an Edinburgh brewer, corrector at the Clarendon Press, purser to HMS Brilliant, husband of the wealthy Mary Tomkins, poet and translator. His adaptation of The Lusiad was published by subscription and netted him nearly £1000 from the sale of the copyright.

Stock no. ebc7818

THE GIFT OF A SUBSCRIBER

The Lusiad; or, the Discovery of India. An Epic Poem. Translated from the Original Portuguese of Luis De Camoens.

First Edition. 4to. [266 x 211 x 50 mm]. [6]ff, clxvii, [ii], 152, 155-484 pp. Bound in contemporary sprinkled calf, the covers with a gilt roll border. The spine divided into six panels with raised bands, lettered in the second on a red goatskin label, the first, fourth and sixth tooled to a lattice pattern, the third and fifth with flowers and small tools, the edges of the boards tooled with a gilt roll, plain endleaves and edges. (Rubbed with loss of gilt, short cracks at head and foot of joints and loss to lower headcap).

Oxford: printed by Jackson and Lister; and sold by Cadell, Dilly, Bew, Flexney, Evans, Richardson and Urquhart, and Goodsman, 1776

Title a little foxed and early patch repair to tear in outer margin pp.479-80. A good clean copy. The binding has faded but was clearly quite grand. There is an ink inscription at the head of the title "Thomas Crane Johnstone a gift of John Irving Esquire of the Temple" and with the signature of John Johnstone dated 1808. The front free endleaf is covered in ink manuscript notes, seemingly in the same hand as the gift inscription.

There is an impressive list of subscribers, including John Irving Esq. of the Temple, London. It is possible that Thomas Crane Johnstone (1755-1799) may have been related to Mickle's patron, Commodore George Johnstone (1730-87). William Julius Mickle (1734/5-1788) had a varied career as an Edinburgh brewer, corrector at the Clarendon Press, purser to HMS Brilliant, husband of the wealthy Mary Tomkins, poet and translator. His adaptation of The Lusiad was published by subscription and netted him nearly £1000 from the sale of the copyright.

Stock no. ebc7818