Hudibras

London: Charles and Henry Baldwyn, 1819. Leather. Good Only. 9" by 5.5". Unnamed. A three-volume set of Samuel Butler's renowned poem, 'Hudibras'. A New Edition, corrected and enlarged. With Dr Grey's annotations. Illustrated titles to each volume, frontispieces, and five plates (collated complete). Numerous humorous vignette illustrations to the titles and in the text throughout, many with tissue guards. The work is a satirical polemic upon Roundheads, Puritans, Presbyterians and many of the other factions involved in the English Civil War. The work was begun, according to the title page, during the civil war and published in three parts in 1663, 1664 and 1678, with the first edition encompassing all three parts in 1684. Published only four years after Charles II had been restored to the throne and the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell being completely over, the poem found an appreciative audience. Hudibras was an extremely popular work with pirate copies and a spurious second part being issued before Butler could produce his genuine second part in 1664. It was highly praised with Voltaire in his Letters on the English saying "I never found so much wit in one single book". The mock heroic epic and its jaunty verse form known as Hudibrastic became the standard of satire for some time after that with at least twenty-seven direct imitations being produced. Fifty years after the last part was written a new edition was published, with illustrations by William Hogarth, who later became one of the foremost artists of the day. The work remained popular for several centuries as a warning against the zealotry during the Civil War period of English history. Complete in three volumes. In half-calf bindings. Externally, rather worn, with rubbing, and loss to the head of the spine of the third volume. Joints are cracked and tender, with the front board of the first volume detached. Internally, generally firmly bound. Pages have some instances of foxing and spotting to the first and last few pages, but are otherwise bright and clean. Good Only