.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
A Paraenesis to the Prince. [bound with:] Aurora. London: R. Field for Edward Blount, 1604.
Details
ALEXANDER, William, 1st Earl of Stirling (c.1567-1640)
A Paraenesis to the Prince. [bound with:] Aurora. London: R. Field for Edward Blount, 1604.
First editions of two Scottish poetical works issued by Shakespeare’s publishers: RareBookHub records no copy of Aurora at auction since 1977. William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, was a courtier-poet during the reign of King James, who would later be a key figure in establishing Scottish settlements in Nova Scotia and Long Island. A Paraenesis to the Prince is a poetical guide to princely behaviour, dedicated to the young Prince Henry, and Aurora is a sonnet sequence which is considered to be the poet’s most enduring work. ‘There is in Aurora more spontaneity, more directness, and more urgency than in Alexander’s other writings’ and ‘his rejection of it from his collected works may have been prompted, not by artistic prudence, but by a purely personal desire to hide what it darkly reveals of his private life’ (Buckley Charlton). Richard Field was a printer and publisher who grew up alongside William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon and issued early editions of Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. Edward Blount is noted for his publication, in conjunction with William and Isaac Jaggard, of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays in 1623. Pforzheimer, 4 & 1; STC 346 & 337.
2 works in one volume, quarto (178 x 132mm). First work with woodcut printer's device [McKerrow 192] on title, headpieces, second work with woodcut head and tailpieces and initials (first work with minor ink stain on title and lacking the blank D2, the second work lacking the blank M4, M3 mounted). Early 19th-century dark green polished calf (rebacked and recornered, upper board detached). Provenance: Liverpool Athenaeum (binding).
A Paraenesis to the Prince. [bound with:] Aurora. London: R. Field for Edward Blount, 1604.
First editions of two Scottish poetical works issued by Shakespeare’s publishers: RareBookHub records no copy of Aurora at auction since 1977. William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, was a courtier-poet during the reign of King James, who would later be a key figure in establishing Scottish settlements in Nova Scotia and Long Island. A Paraenesis to the Prince is a poetical guide to princely behaviour, dedicated to the young Prince Henry, and Aurora is a sonnet sequence which is considered to be the poet’s most enduring work. ‘There is in Aurora more spontaneity, more directness, and more urgency than in Alexander’s other writings’ and ‘his rejection of it from his collected works may have been prompted, not by artistic prudence, but by a purely personal desire to hide what it darkly reveals of his private life’ (Buckley Charlton). Richard Field was a printer and publisher who grew up alongside William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon and issued early editions of Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. Edward Blount is noted for his publication, in conjunction with William and Isaac Jaggard, of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays in 1623. Pforzheimer, 4 & 1; STC 346 & 337.
2 works in one volume, quarto (178 x 132mm). First work with woodcut printer's device [McKerrow 192] on title, headpieces, second work with woodcut head and tailpieces and initials (first work with minor ink stain on title and lacking the blank D2, the second work lacking the blank M4, M3 mounted). Early 19th-century dark green polished calf (rebacked and recornered, upper board detached). Provenance: Liverpool Athenaeum (binding).
Brought to you by
Eugenio Donadoni
Senior Specialist, Medieval & Renaissance Manuscripts