Miscellaneous Pieces, in Prose and Verse. Not Inserted in Mr. Sheridan's Edition of the Dean's Works — First Edition, 1789, Year of the French Revolution

Title: Miscellaneous Pieces, in Prose and Verse. Not Inserted in Mr. Sheridan's Edition of the Dean's Works — First Edition, 1789, Year of the French Revolution Author: Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) Editor: John Nichols Publisher: Printed for C. Dilly, in the Poultry, London Publication date: 1789 (MDCCLXXXIX) Edition: First Edition Binding: Hardcover — Contemporary Full Leather Condition: Good (with substantial external wear) Pagination: vi, [2], 262 pages Format: Octavo (8vo) DESCRIPTION An original first edition of Miscellaneous Pieces, in Prose and Verse, by the celebrated Anglo-Irish satirist Jonathan Swift (1667–1745), Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. Published in London in 1789, the historic year in which the French Revolution began, this important eighteenth-century collection brings together prose and verse by Swift that had not been included in Thomas Sheridan's edition of the Dean's collected works. Edited by the distinguished printer, antiquary and literary scholar John Nichols, the volume represents an important contribution to the preservation and publication of Swift's literary legacy. Jonathan Swift remains one of the most influential satirists in the English language, best remembered for Gulliver's Travels (1726) and A Tale of a Tub (1704). His writings combine incisive social commentary, political observation, humour and literary sophistication. This 1789 collection is particularly interesting because it was intended to supplement existing editions of Swift's works, bringing together material previously excluded from Sheridan's compilation. The volume is also a fascinating survivor from a momentous period in European history, having been printed in the same year as the storming of the Bastille and the beginning of the French Revolution. BINDING AND CONDITION Good antiquarian condition, with considerable wear to the original leather binding. Bound in contemporary full tan-brown leather with gilt border decoration to the boards and raised bands to the spine. The spine retains its original-style contrasting dark-red title label, lettered in gilt SWIFT'S WORKS. The binding exhibits substantial age-related wear, including rubbing, cracking and peeling of the leather, particularly along the spine. There are losses to the original gilt-decorated leather spine ornaments, together with general surface scratches, scuffing and wear to the corners and extremities. The boards retain traces of their original gilt border decoration. Importantly, the binding remains tight and all pages are present, with no missing leaves. The original title page is present and clearly displays the London imprint of C. Dilly and the publication date MDCCLXXXIX (1789). The pages exhibit age-related toning and scattered foxing, as illustrated in the accompanying photographs. The text remains clearly legible. Although the binding shows considerable external deterioration, the volume remains structurally sound and retains its authentic eighteenth-century character. The photographs form part of the condition description and show the book's actual appearance, including the wear to its leather binding.…