SAMMELBAND OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY POETRY CHAPBOOKS

London: Various Publishers, 1786. 4to (10 3/8" by 8 3/8"). Three bookplates on front endpapers tell an ownership story: Henry St. John Dixon (1773-1846) arrived in Abingdon, Virginia in 1798 with his friend and fellow student, Henry Clay. Clay decided to move on to Kentucky; Dixon remained in Abingdon. Robert W. Hughes (1821-1901) was a newspaper editor in Richmond, United States attorney in the Abingdon area, a Federal judge, and a Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia. His son Robert M. Hughes (1855-1940) was a Norfolk attorney, the author of a biography of Civil War general Joseph E. Johnston, and benefactor of what later became Old Dominion University (Hughes Hall on the ODU campus is named after him). Chapbooks bound-in include: 1) One chapbook containing 3 poems by 18th century lawyer and poet Thomas Spring: 1) A Familiar Epistle from a Student of the Middle Temple, London, to His Friend in Dublin. Written in the Year 1759. First edition, printed for T. Davies, London, 1771. The poem is addressed to Barry Yelverton (later became Lord Avondale). 2) The Choice of Hercules: An Ode for Music. 3) The Farewell: A Pastoral Ballad. In Imitation of Shenstone. xviii, 57 pages. 2) One chapbook by T. C. Rickman, close friend and biographer of Thomas Paine: The Fallen Cottage. Printed for the author. Undated, but in all likelihood published in 1786. xvi, (2), 26 pages. Includes lengthy list of subscribers. 3) One chapbook by British landscape painter, cellist, and poet George Smith of Chichester: Six Pastorals. First edition, printed for J. Dodsley, London 1770. iv, 47 pages. 4) One chapbook by Edward Young, the British poet best known for Night Thoughts and other works: The Merchant. A Naval Lyric: Written in Imitation of Pindar's Spirit. On the British Trade and Navigation. First and only edition, printed for J. Swan and S. Vandenberg, London, 1771. viii, 60 pages. 5) One chapbook by Richard Shepherd, Archdeacon of Bedford, who was a significant theologian and minor poet: The Nuptials. A Didactic Poem. In Three Books. Second edition, printed for William Flexney, London, 1763 (the first edition was published in 1761). 86 pages.. First Editions. Hardcover. Collectible-Very Good. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Book.