M.M. Clifford — Poems: Including the Second Edition of Egypt

London, William Bulmer & Co. 1808. Leather. A very scarce anthology inspired by travels as a soldier to Egypt as well as those across the Mediterranean and Asia, with the bookplate of Countess Wolseley. Poems: Including the Second Edition of Egypt, very scarce anthology written by English travel poet M.M. Clifford. Published in 1808, with the first shorter edition published in 1802. This extended second edition is vanishingly scarce, with no institutional copies in the UK. Only four institutional copies of the first edition, with one held at the British Library. In full contemporary tree calf, with orange marble end papers and the original blanks preserved. Contains the bookplate of Countess Wolseley, Louisa Erskine, to the front pastedown. Erskine was the wife of distinguished Victorian general Sir Garnet Wolseley, and the mother of the horticultural author Frances Garnet Wolseley. While little is known concerning Clifford, his poem on Egypt: Descriptive of that Country and Its Inhabitants was written as a soldier while abroad, and the other miscelleanous poems included in this anthology are similarly inspired by his travels to the Mediterranean and Asia. He dedicates the anthology to comrades who lost their lives in his war with Egypt. In full contemporary tree calf, with orange marble end papers and the original blanks preserved. Contains the bookplate of Countess Wolseley, Louisa Erskine, to the front pastedown. Externally, cracking to joints, with rear board firm and front board strained but holding. Slight wear to glit decoration to borders and to spine. A small chip to top edge of rear board. Head of calf spine loosening , with spine interior visible. Calf to head of spine and to rear joint loosening from board. A couple of faint marks and scratches. Slight dulling to orange marble end papers. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are generally bright and clean, with slight age toning and browning to top extremities of leaves. Good Only . Ill.: None. Good Only .