A New-Year’s Gift,

Book Description

1792.. IN VERSE 8pp., sm. 8vo. Some browning and spotting, but a large, sound, and partly untrimmed copy in attractive contemporary wrappers cut from what must have been an album of calligraphic exercises. The blank lower margin of p. 7 has a contemporary inscription “Theodate Dow her Book. mary green her book.” Evidently the first edition, although a Philadelphia broadside version of the same text appeared the same year. The title poem begins Reflecting on the slippery paths of youth,  My heart’s engaged that you may buy the Truth. . . .  I know, my dears, you stand on slipp’ry ground.There is no reason to doubt the truth of the statement on the title, that the poems were by an Englishwoman and presented to her nieces and nephews. Whether the nieces and nephews were in England or America is not clear - “republished” perhaps implies a prior, separate English edition, but if it was ever printed it has not survived. Welch, American Children’s Books. . . Prior to 1821, 948.1, recording complete copies at AAS and Library of Congress; OCLC adds two in New Hampshire; no more in ESTC. 

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