James Thomson — The Seasons

London, P. W. Tomkins, 1797. Leather. A superb illustrated folio edition of the best known poetical work of James Thomson. A folio edition of 'The Seasons', the best known poem by James Thomson.Illustrated with a frontispiece, six plates, and fifteen engraved vignettes and head and tail pieces, and an engraved dedication leaf. This edition is illustrated F. Bartolozzi and P. W. Tomkins, after W. Hamilton.Half-title is present. List of subscribers to the front.Collated, complete.'The Seasons' is a long blank verse poem, and reflects on the landscape of the countryside, a series of four poems, each focussing on one season of the year. For the poem, Thomson borrowed Milton's Latin influence vocabulary and inverted word order.This was an immensely popular and influential work when it was published, inspiring the likes of Thomas Gainsborough and J. M. W. Turner.The work wasn't just influential in the literary world, but also in the legal world; there were disputes over the publishing rights for the poem, and it led to two important legal decisions, Millar v. Taylor and Donaldson v. Beckett, both landmarks in the history of copywritings. In a modern quarter morocco binding with marbled paper to the boards. Externally, fine. Front free endpaper is edge worn with handling marks. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright and generally clean with scattered spots. Small tidemark to the head of the frontispiece and plates. Spots are heavier to the plates. Title page has been repaired. Very Good . Ill.: F. Bartolozzi; P. W. Tomkins; W. Hamilton. Very Good .