Poems.

London: Printed for J. Dodsley,, 1768. First collected edition, in a contemporary binding retaining the half-title. The volume includes some of Gray's most popular works, such as "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College", and poems from Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard (1751), Designs by Mr. Bentley, for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray (1753) and Odes, by Mr. Gray, Printed at Strawberry Hill (1757). For the present edition, Gray revised and expanded the earlier versions of his poems: "Gray supplied two translations from Old Norse, 'The Fatal Sisters' and 'The Descent of Odin', and one from Welsh, 'The Triumphs of Owen', all probably dating from 1761, when his enthusiasm for James Macpherson's Ossianic productions temporarily revived his interest in the prehistory of English poetry. He also provided notes explaining some of the obscurities of the 1757 odes. About the same time [as Dodsley] Beattie proposed a collected edition, to be printed by the Foulis brothers of Glasgow. With Dodsley's approval, Gray consented, and on 1 February 1768 sent to Beattie the same instructions and the same new material that he had supplied to Dodsley. The London edition appeared on 12 March 1768, the Glasgow edition on 4 May" (ODNB). Octavo (182 x 115 mm). Contemporary calf, rebacked to style and recornered, spine with gilt ruled raised bands and gilt decoration in compartments, green morocco label, edges sprinkled red. Woodcut ornament to title page, headpieces. Partially erased inscription to head of title page. Browning from binder's glue to margins of half-title, marks or spots to a few leaves, otherwise crisp and clean, leaf H and H2 inverted, lacking final blank. A very good copy. ESTC T136298; Clark Sutherland Northup, A Bibliography of Thomas Gray, 1917, no. 52.