Miscellaneous poems By Andrew Marvell, Esq; late Member of the Honourable House of Commons
London: Printed [by Simon Miller?] for Robert Boulter, at the Turks-Head in Cornhill, 1681.
Price: $26,500.00
Folio: 28.8 x 19 cm. [4], 116, 131-9, [1] pp. Collation: [A]2, B-C2, D-Q4, R1, S1, T2-4, U1, X1. With the added portrait frontispiece. The thirteen suppressed leaves with the poems to Cromwell, R2-T1 and U2-X2, have been replaced by the cancels, S1 and X1, as usual.
FIRST AND SOLE EDITION
An excellent copy in its original binding, with broad margins and the engraved portrait. Bound in 17th c. paneled English sheep, discreetly re-backed (worn at corners, minor scrapes on the boards). A fine copy with a tiny rust mark to one leaf, small and discreet paper restoration to the blank inner margin of the portrait and title (far from the text and image), some light soiling to the title, and occasional very minor blemishes. Small rust hole in one leaf. Copies in contemporary bindings are rare.
The “Miscellaneous Poems” marks the first appearance of the majority of Marvell’s poems, including “The Match”, a metaphysical poems which shows Marvell’s strong affinities with Donne; the country house poem, “Upon Appleton House”; and Marvell’s most celebrated poem, “To His Coy Mistress”, one of the most celebrated lyric poems in the English language.
The letter “To The Reader” states “that all these Poems, as also the other things in this Book contained, are Printed according to the exact Copies of my late dear Husband, under his own hand-Writing, being found since his Death among his other Papers.” The letter, signed “Mary Marvell” is now known to have been written by Marvell’s house-keeper, Mary Palmer.
The Suppression of the Cromwellian Poems:
“As first printed the collection included three long poems in honor of Cromwell... At some stage in publication it was decided to suppress these three poems and the leaves containing them were cancelled.”(Allison p. 51) The thirteen suppressed leaves, R2-T1 and U2-X2, were replaced by the cancels, S1 and X1. The leaves with the Cromwellian poems are preserved in only two copies (both incomplete): the Dobell-Thorn Drury-British Library and Huntington.