The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet's Mind; An Autobiographical Poem

William Wordsworth

Published by Edward Moxon, 1851

A scarce, strange book. Strange to think for example that few people these days talk much about the so-called 1850 version of The Prelude, the 1805 and 1799 versions are read and discussed much more, but it was in this form that the public first encountered Wordsworth's great autobiographical poem. The 1805 version did not come out until 1926. So anyway, this second edition of The Prelude - published in 1851 - is 302 pages long, plus two pages of notes. The poem is divided into 14 books, whereas the 1805 version has 13. There's a two and a half page advertisement at the start, which explains, for example, that The Friend to whom the poem is addressed was the late Samuel Taylor Coleridge. This copy has the name of an early reader neatly written at the front ("Edith Blake. Holly Hill. 1862"). There are some light occasional pencil marks throughout, drawn at the side of favoured lines, and a few words and short notes throughout. At the very end is written: "June 6th 1862". So what this volume offers is the chance to experience The Prelude as it was experienced in mid-Victorian times. This copy is still well-bound, although its front hinge is exposed down its length, with the stitching edging a little out. The back hinge is partly exposed, but still feels tight. There's very little spotting internally. What there is mostly just affects parts of the endpapers. The spine is slightly faded. The corners are mildly bumped. There's a small bit of fraying - just a few millimetres - at the top of the spine. The bottom is slightly pushed in, where the book has been held. "Wordsworth's Fun" is, in our opinion, the title of the best book about Wordsworth in recent years (it's by Matthew Bevis), but it is an unusual sort of fun. Take, for example, Wordsworth heading up Snowdon with the shepherd he's roused from a "rude cottage at the mountain's base". Up they go with their private thoughts "and by myself / Was nothing either seen or heard that checked / Those musings or diverted, save that once / The shepherd's lurcher, who, among the crags, / Had to his joy unearthed a hedgehog, teased / His coiled-up prey with barkings turbulent". It's just so Wordsworth. Seller Inventory # 000917

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Prelude, or Growth of a Poet's Mind; An ...
Publisher: Edward Moxon
Publication Date: 1851
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good
Edition: 2nd Edition