Edmund Spenser, 1611

SPENSER, Edmund (c.1522-1599). The Faerie Queen: The Shepheard’s Calendar; together with the Other Works of England’s Arch-Poët. London: H[umphrey] L[ownes] for Matthew Lownes, 1611 [1615?].

The first collected edition of Spenser’s poetry, this copy from Lord Byron's library, with his bookplate. Spenser described his epic romance as a poem “cloudily enwrapped in Allegorical devises.” It earned him a pension from Queen Elizabeth and fame as one of the greatest English poets of his age. Combining Italian influences such as Ludovico Ariosto and Torquato Tasso with native British myths and legends, he produced the paradigmatic poem of the English Renaissance. Its multi-layered and often enigmatic symbolism has captivated and puzzled readers for centuries. Regarding the collected works, according to Johnson, “in no case were these editions printed as a unit. Instead, they were made up by issuing as a single volume a number of separate sections.” Johnson, F.R., Critical Bibliography of the Works of Edmund Spenser, 19; Pforzheimer 972; STC (2nd ed.) 23083.3, 23087, 23086.3, 23093.5, 23077.3.

Folio (267 x 169mm). General title with decorated woodcut border, "The Shepheard’s Calendar" with woodcut illustrations, numerous woodcut titles, initials, and other decorations throughout (lacking three blanks; first title and dedication leaf with fore-edge strengthened; one leaf with repair at margin; a handful of closed tears, in one instance touching about six words). Early 19th century russia (rebacked, with original spine laid down). Provenance: Elizabeth Lawrence (ownership signature in two places) – Lord Byron, 1788-1824 (bookplate) – James William Ellsworth (bookplate) – Arthur Houghton (bookplate).