Waller, Edmund | The Hoe copy of an English nationalist work

Waller, Edmund 

Poems, &c. Written upon Several Occasions, and to Several Persons. London: For Jacob Tonfin, 1712 

12mo (135 x 73 mm). Engraved frontispiece portrait of Edmund Waller and engraved vignettes in each volume; foxing and faint staining, offsetting from old auction slip, dampstaining to final leaves. Contemporary red straight-grain morocco, double gilt frame, decorative gilt pattern within, spine with semi raised bands in six compartments, second and fifth gilt-lettered, others with repeat overall decoration in gilt, all edges gilt, green embossed endleaves; extremities rubbed with some minor loss, spine lightly sunned, front free endpaper loose but holding with early manuscript annotations, offsetting on to end papers.

The Hoe copy, in a charming contemporary binding.

Waller was a vocal English royalist, reflected in the “tinge[s] of English nationalism” throughout this collection of his poems. He passionately covers subjects such as love, death, and English military dominance (Marsh’s). 

REFERENCES 

Marsh’s Library

PROVENANCE 

Robert Hoe (booklabel to front pastedown)