The Complaint of Christmas

Berkeley, California: The Hart Press, 1974. Limited Edition. Wraps. Fine. Anderson, Victor R.. Limitation not stated (140 copies printed), quarto size, [8] pp., with a presentation card from the publisher. The annual Christmas publication issued by Ruth and James D. Hart, to friends in a limited edition. James D. Hart (1911-1990) was an American literary scholar and professor at UC Berkeley for fifty-four years; he is perhaps best known for his work "The Oxford Companion to American Literature".

This work is an excerpt from a 1642 publication by John Taylor, a Thames ferryman apparently referred to as "the Water Poet"; the first English Civil War had just begun and the Puritans had outlawed celebrations on December the twenty-fifth. Our poetical ferryman "wrote and had printed 'The Complaint of Christmas' " to decry the lack of entertainment. "Christmas" himself is complaining, with the lack of feasts and pleasantries, "with guifts, offerings, and other worthy gratuities and encouragements...all cast off". A humorous look at what must have been at the time an oppression to many, being forbidden to celetrate the feast day of Christmas.

With a small presentation card from the publisher which reads "May your Christmas leave no Complaints, Ruth & Jim Hart".

___DESCRIPTION: Original pictorial green wrappers, front fore-edge uncut, pictorial title and three illustrations in text (one full-page), each in black and white, printers device at colophon; laid paper, quarto size (10" by 6.5"), [8] pp., limited edition of 140 copies (per the prior owner), with a presentation card from the publisher/printer slipped in.

___CONDITION: A fine copy, the green colour of the wrap deep and unfaded (other than perhaps some extremely light sunning around the edges of the wrap), the corners straight, the string binding strong and tight, internally bright and clean, and free of prior owner markings. The small card from the publisher also fine, clean and utterly without wear or blemish; overall a lovely example.

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