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Milton, John (1608--1674) - Characters - Eve
[Paradise lost. 1667]
Paradise lost. A poem written in ten books by John Milton. Licensed and entred according to order.
London (Place), printed [by Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker; and by Robert Boulter; and Matthias Walker,, 1667.
[344] p. ; 17.4 cm. (sm. 4º)

First edition. Printer's name from ESTC. Of the six title-page states that occur with the first edition only two are dated 1667, the others being 1668 and 1669. On this, the earliest state, the author's name appears in large capitals. This is one of the copies having seven additional preliminary leaves, 1A4 (-A1) a4, not inxluded in the above collation, containing the additional 'Arguments' and preface ('The Verse') with the note from 'The printer to the reader' (signed by Samuel Simmons) and 'Errata' which did not appear with the poem in the first issue. These were probably printed the following year and were either added by the original owners after their purchase of the text, or are present as later sophistications. For details on states of title page and preliminaries see The Library, ser. 4, XXII: 34--66. There are many textual variants: - on fol. L2v (end of Book 3) the verses are wrongly numbered. The first line is numbered 740, it should be 731. On the same page line 760 reads 'Throws his steep flight with many an Aerie wheele'. The errata in this copy shows 'with' as changed to 'in' where the correction is made in other issues. Pforzheimer 717; Wing M2137; ESTC r9505; Shawcross, J. Milton, 292; Hugh Amory,'Things Unattempted Yet', in The Book Collector, Spring 1983, pp. 41--66.

Copy Notes The preliminary matter, first three leaves of the main text, inner quires of gatherings Z, Bb and Ll, and gatherings Ee--Kk are inlaid to size, retaining the ink ownership of Edm: Walter at the head of the first page of the poem. Inscribed in ink on front free-endpaper facing the title-page First Edition. Occasional underlings in pencil and annotations in ink in an early hand. Printed sale catalogue entry for the 1669 issue attached to the verso of the free-endpaper, dated(?) in pencil 1894. Purchased together with a copy of Milton's Paradise regain'd, 1751 (q.v.), Poems, &c., 1673 (q.v.), and three other works for 5 guineas from A.W. Barlace on 9 November 1826. (Priv. Corr. XVI.E.6.10). Inscribed in pencil at the base of the rear free-endpaper in a C19th hand 9th Novr 26 6 Books / Barlace.

Binding Early C19th century calf, small palmette and anthemion blind-tooled borders, blind-tooled spine, direct-lettered in gilt.

Reference Number 3980

Additional Names A.W. BARLACE; Walton, Edmund; Bible. O.T. Genesis - History of Biblical events - Poetry


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