Thomas Gray, 1751

[GRAY, Thomas (1715-1771).] An Elegy Wrote in a Country Church Yard. The Second Edition. London: R. Dodsley, and sold by Mr Cooper, 1751.

Second edition of of one of the best loved poems in English, published the same year as the first; with a note from A.S.W. Rosenbach. Gray's great meditative poem was begun in 1742 but not finished until 1750, at which point it started to be circulated freely in manuscript. However, the threat of piracy led to it being rushed into print in no more than six days and it was published at sixpence on 15 February 1751, one day before its appearance in The Magazine of Magazines. There were five authorized editions in the same year. Gray’s striking poem inspired many imitators and homages from not only his fellow poets, but visual artists including William Blake, Owen Jones, and John Constable. There is no elegy that is more remembered, and no eighteenth century poem that has received more echoes in subsequent literature. This copy with a signed note from the legendary collector, scholar, and rare book dealer A.S.W. Rosenbach (1876-1952) to the front endpaper: "The very rare second edition of Gray's Elegy [...] issued the same year as the first, 1751. A.S. W. Rosenbach." Northup 493.

Quarto (195 x 240mm). (Repair to margin of endpaper, minor soiling internally.) Modern black morocco gilt by Stikeman. Provenance: several contemporary annotations throughout, including the addition of the extra stanza that would appear in later editions) – A.S.W. Rosenbach (pencil note; 1876-1952).