A Critical and Philosophical Commentary on Mr. Pope's Essay on Man . .

London: Printed for John and Paul Knapton, 1742, 1742. First edition. ESTC T132396; NCBEL II, 1870. Minor nicks in the edges of a few preliminary leaves; very good copy.. Small 8vo, contemporary calf skillfully rebacked, red morocco spine label, gilt lettering. ¶ A spirited defense by William Warburton (1698-1779) of Alexander Pope's famous poem Essay on Man. Warburton first published a similar work on the same subject entitled Vindication of Mr. Pope's Essay on Man (1740), but rewrote it so extensively for this edition that it really is a new work, as NCBEL recognizes it. This edition also contains a lengthy dedication to philanthropist Ralph Allen and a preface that begins "There are two sorts of Writers, I mean the Bigot and the Free-Thinker, that every Honest Man in his Heart esteems no better then the Pests of Society, as they are manifestly the bane of Literature and Religion." (Inventory #: 23250)