{"product_id":"poems-of-rural-life-in-common-english-william-barnes-1st-edition","title":"Poems of Rural Life in Common English, William Barnes — 1st Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, Macmillan and Co., 1868\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. xii, 200.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Good. The original blue cloth binding remains fully intact but shows visible signs of handling and age, notably moderate rubbing to the board extremities and bumping to the spine head and tail. The spine itself is sunned, resulting in the fading of the gilt lettering and cloth colour. The binding remains relatively tight, though the hinges show the mild tenderness typical of 19th-century volumes. Internally, the pages exhibit age-related toning, particularly to the block edges and margins, but are largely free from significant foxing or tearing. A 'W.H. Smith \u0026amp; Son Library' blind stamp is present on the preliminary pages, alongside a neatly affixed typed ownership label to the front paste-down.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This is a First Edition of William Barnes's collection, published in 1868. Unlike his more renowned works penned in the Dorset dialect, this volume translates his bucolic vision into standard English, aimed at a wider Victorian readership.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe provenance includes a small, circular blind stamp from the W.H. Smith \u0026amp; Son Library (186 Strand), indicating its early life within their prominent circulating library system. Furthermore, the front paste-down bears the typed ownership label of 'Granville Garley, Manchester, 22.2.52', marking its mid-20th-century provenance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Barnes's dialect poetry often commands higher premiums, original 1868 printings of this 'common English' edition in the publisher's original blue cloth remain uncommon on the open market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWilliam Barnes (1801–1886) was an English polymath, priest, and poet, best remembered for his lyrical evocations of rural life in the West Country. While he typically wrote in his native Dorset dialect to preserve the region's linguistic heritage, \u003ci\u003ePoems of Rural Life in Common English\u003c\/i\u003e serves as an accessible entry point into his pastoral world. Imbued with a deep reverence for the rhythms of agrarian life, the passing of the seasons, and the enduring bonds of tight-knit communities, the collection offers a timeless, nostalgic snapshot of the 19th-century English countryside. An evocative piece of vintage poetry, this volume stands alongside the works of classic prose writers and contemporaries like Matthew Arnold in capturing the transitional spirit of Victorian England.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54814032331091,"sku":"5315","price":65.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260819_141501.jpg?v=1788253673","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/poems-of-rural-life-in-common-english-william-barnes-1st-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}