The Aldine Edition of the British Poets. The Poetical Works of Mark Akenside

1835. London: William Pickering, 1835.


8vo., xciv, 303 pp., engraved frontisportrait, and Aldine device on the title-page. Contemporary half green calf, red marbled boards heightened in gilt, five raised bands with gilt-tooled panel decoration to backstrip, red and black morocco label strips with title information in gilt to backstrip, marbled endpapers. Joints and corners of boards have some slight rubbing, minor foxing to outer margins; otherwise very good. Bookplate of Thomas Lee Marshall to first pastedown.

ß First edition thus, with a preface and Life of Akenside by Rev. A. Dyce. The Aldine Poet Series was a 20 year project that involved printing new editions of classic British poets from Chaucer through to the 19th Century. They were published in 53 volumes during the years 1830-1844. Pickering secured John Mitford and Alexander Dyce as editors with Sir Harris Nicolas, so that the series would be of a high standard.