Thomas Campbell [ed.] — Specimens of the British Poets

London, John Murray, 1819. First edition. Leather. The first edition of this seven volume anthology of works of both famous and obscure British poets, from 1400 to 1805. The first edition of this work.Complete in seven volumes. Edited by Thomas Campbell, chiefly remembered for his sentimental poetry. Volume I contains an essay on English poetry from Campbell. The remaining volumes contain biographical and critical notes of the most prominent British poets, with examples of their works, chronologically arranged from 1400 to 1805. Volume II covers Chaucer, 1400, to Beaumont, 1628. Volume III Drayton, 1631, to Phillips, 1664. Volume IV Shirley, 1666, to Prior, 1721. Volume V Sewell, 1726, to Carey, 1763. Volume VI Churchill, 1764, to Johnson, 1784. Volume VII Whitehead, 1785, to Anstey, 1805. Campbell's success giving a series of lectures on poetry at the Royal Institute led to the favourable reception of these works. The project had been underway since 1805 and completed at irregular intervals, Campbell complaining that he had to wade through oceans of bad poetry "where not a fish is to be caught" (Beattie, 2.47).Uniformly bound in contemporary half calf with marbled boards. In contemporary half calf bindings with marbled boards. Externally, sound, with some shelf wear to the boards and rubbing to the spines, joints, and extremities. Fading to the spines. Internally, all volumes are firmly bound. A few scattered spots to the first and last pages of each volume, and a few spots throughout, otherwise pages are bright and clean. Very Good . Ill.: Not Stated. Very Good .