Gerald Massey — Craigcrook Castle

London, David Bogue, 1856 . First edition. Cloth. A signed presentation copy of the scarce first edition of Gerald Massey's poetry collection. Including the author's own manuscript corrections, which were made to the second edition, published in the same year. The scarce first edition of this work, with the author's own manuscript corrections throughout.Inscribed 'Margaret Williamson from Gerald Massey with kind regards', to the front free endpaper.Inscribed by Massey to the title page head 'a corrected copy of First Edition&apos.With corrections in Massey's own hand throughout. All of these corrections were made to the second edition of this work, published in the same year.Massey's corrections are throughout the work, and largely consist of his deletion of lines of poetry he viewed as superfluous. In total, thirty complete lines of poetry are crossed out and marked D for deletion, with notations to numerous further single words and phrases, indicating either that that they should be removed or replaced. Replacement stanzas are also handwritten by the author here, and these also appear in the second edition.The majority of corrections are made to the opening poem, Cragigbrook Castle, with a significant number made to The Bridegroom of Beauty, and a small each number to the five other poems in the work.With thirty six pages of advertisements to the rear, dated February 1856.The work of minor Victorian poet, social reformer, and Egyptologist Gerald Massey's, this is a blank verse epic that 'may be read as a continuous Poem, or divided into separate Poems' according the contents leaf. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Boards age toned to perimeters. Significant loss to back strip head and tail. Joints starting, with boards firmly held. Inscription to front free endpaper. Internally, firmly bound. Inscription to title page head, with author's notations throughout the work. Pages a touch age toned, with the odd handling mark. Good . Ill.: None. Good .