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Poems Selected and Printed by a small Party of English, Who made this amusement a substitute for Society, Which the disturbed situation of the country prevented their enjoying. At Strasburg, In the Month of February 1792. Paginates: [4], 91, [1] p. First and only edition. Complete with the half-title. Bound in contemporary tree calf, expertly re-backed. Smooth back-strip divided by gilt straight and scalloped rules, with flower ornaments to center. Red leather label in the second compartment from the top. Minor wear to boards and spine. Marbled endpapers. Half-title with small paper repair at head. With inscription to the half-title; The gift of Sir John & Lady Legard June 1797 , probably the 6th Baronet, Sir John Legard and his wife Jane. The disturbed situation of the country , the anthology refers to is the French Revolution. Strasbourg had recently become a French possession and when news of the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 arrived, on July 21 the city hall was sacked. Strasbourg lost certain possessions, such as the towns of Wasselonne and Barr. In 1790 the property of the clergy was seized, and the university (Lutheran at the time), lost most of its revenues. Things quickly settled down until 1792, when France went to war against Prussia and Austria. The mayor of Strasbourg, Philippe-Frédéric de Dietrich, was decapitated by guillotine in December 1793. Women were not allowed to wear traditional costumes and Christian worship was forbidden. Many English nationals caught there during these troubles became de facto prisoners. The identity of this group remains unknown. The work contains pieces by Goldsmith, Gray, Lyttleton, Sheridan and Pope, among others. Scarce in institutions, rare at auction. The volume measures 29.5 x 23.4 x 1.6 cm. Each leaf measures 287 x 222 mm. Seller Inventory # ABE-1693256781791
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