The Complaint or Night-Thoughts on Life Death, and Immortality 1789: Musings on Death

1789. leather. Fair. The Complaint: or Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality By Edward Young (1681–1765) 4"" X 7"" Tall, 408 pages Condition: Fair to Good, some distant owner stitched front and back boards back into spine. Medium foxing, two pages (317/18 & 319/20) with tears down middle and partly torn from spine, owners name Jane Ellen Esther penciled on inside of covers. Printed by John Mycall, for the proprietor of the Boston Book-store, North 59, Cornhill, Boston Date: 1789 (publication date on book)

""The Complaint: or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality, better known simply as Night-Thoughts, is a long poem by Edward Young published in nine parts (or ""nights"") between 1742 and 1745. The poem is written in blank verse. It describes the poet's musings on death over a series of nine ""nights"" in which he ponders the loss of his wife and friends, and laments human frailties. The best-known line in the poem is the adage ""procrastination is the thief of time"", which is part of a passage in which the poet discusses how quickly life and opportunities can slip away. Night-Thoughts had a very high reputation for many years after its publication, but is now best known for the fact that it gave rise to a major series of illustrations by William Blake in 1797 and by Thomas Stothart in 1799. The nine nights are each a poem of their own. They are: ""Life, Death, and Immortality"" (dedicated to Arthur Onslow); ""Time, Death, Friendship"" (dedicated to Spencer Compton); ""Narcissa"" (dedicated to Margaret Bentinck); ""The Christian Triumph"" (dedicated to Philip Yorke); ""The Relapse"" (dedicated to George Lee); ""The Infidel Reclaim'd"" (in two parts, ""Glories and Riches"" and ""The Nature, Proof, and Importance of Immortality""; dedicated to Henry Pelham); ""Virtue's Apology; or, The Man of the World Answered"" (with no dedication); and ""The Consolation"" (dedicated to Thomas Pelham-Holles)."" -Wikipedia