Essays, literary and miscellaneous

London: J. Johnson and Co., 1811. FIRST EDITION. Half-calf and cloth, spine label, other than a repair to T6 and some very minor spotting, interior very good. Bookplate of the Library of the Medical Society of the County Kings, with small library stamp on title. From the library of William Schroeder, Sr., M.D., with his stamp on the fly-leaf and ownership inscription. First edition. Aikin, best known for his Essays on song-writing, delights his readers with selections from various literary devices, including essays grouped under the following “headings”: On similes in poetry; On poetical personifications; On the humour of Addison; On the comparative value of different productions in the fine arts; On the equivocal character of insanity; Verbal remarks; On reasoning from analogy; On duelling; and On the freedom of the press in England. Aikin (1747-1822) was a physician who practiced successfully for a number of years until a stroke forced his retirement. Thereafter he devoted himself to literature and related pursuits, along with his numerous friends such as Priestley, the naturalist Pennant, Erasmus Darwin, and the philanthropist John Howard, for whom he acted as literary executor.