Poems, William Mason, M.A. — 1st Edition

Publication: London, Robert Horsfield, 1764

Formatting: 8vo, pp. [iv], 318.

Condition Report: Very Good. Bound in contemporary full calf, the spine features five raised bands forming six compartments, with the panels ornately decorated in gilt foliate tooling. The binding remains remarkably sturdy and firm with intact hinges and joints, avoiding the cracking often seen in volumes of this era. There is some expected mild rubbing, scuffing, and a few superficial scratches to the leather boards, alongside slight wear and minor chipping to the spine extremities and corners, yet the gilt remains relatively bright. The edges of the boards and inner turn-ins feature a decorative gilt roll. Internally, the pages are crisp, bright, and pleasingly clean, showing only minimal scattered foxing and light offsetting from the engraved title vignette to the opposing blank leaf. A wonderfully well-preserved and handsome eighteenth-century volume.

Catalogue Note: First collected edition. A beautifully presented compilation of works by William Mason (1725–1797), a poet, clergyman, and close confidant of Thomas Gray and Horace Walpole. This edition brings together Mason's key poetic and dramatic works, which cemented his reputation as a man of profound literary taste among Georgian high society.

The volume is distinguished by a handsome engraved title page vignette by James Basire, based on a design by Samuel Wale, depicting a classical composition of a bust, lyre, palette, and beehive, bearing the motto 'Vitam quæ faciant beatiorem'. The dedication leaf to Robert, Earl of Holdernesse, whom Mason served as chaplain, is also adorned with a finely engraved armorial coat of arms.

This copy bears a neat contemporary ownership inscription dated 1764 to the front free endpaper. While early editions of Mason's individual works are reasonably common, complete and soundly bound 1764 collected editions in contemporary calf, especially those with uncracked joints, are becoming increasingly difficult to source on the open market.

A classic work of mid-eighteenth-century English poetry, this volume gathers the elegant verses and dramatic works of William Mason, one of the period's most well-connected literary figures. Influenced heavily by his close friend Thomas Gray, Mason's poems reflect the transitional bridge between neoclassical formalism and the emerging romantic sensibility. Featuring evocative elegies, striking odes, and ambitious historical dramas such as Elfrida and Caractacus, this handsome 1764 edition offers a wonderful window into the literary tastes of Georgian England.