Saint Swinburne
Hey Book Fags!
Today I picked up the 1919 two volume The Letters of Agernon Charles Swinburne in glorious hardcover from America's oldest continuously operated bookstore. Librarything tells me no one else has a set, out of a million users and a book that came out 90 years ago I find that hard to believe.
From the Introduction: "We have a scholar talking to some other scholar of things intimately seductive to them both, and he does with what is almost the ardor of a schoolboy"
This is not the complete set and the editor thinks that may not ever be possible as letters always continuously turn up, some were sadly destroyed, some are still held in secret, but that this was the most complete set possible at the time.
And the Saints commingle: (first page lost)"...names, that the publisher of the biography ( a very contemptible cur) took fright and would not forsooth allow them to be duly analysed. He will receive chastisement, and the subject elucidation, when my commentary appears, as they both respectfully deserve...My book will at least handle the whole question of Blake's life and work with perfect fearlessness and with thorough admiration" and yes there is the letter about Saint Burton's biographer!
On dreadful facsimiles (Yes Kensington, I am speaking to you):
"I wish the ugly and barbarous word "facsimile" were abolished - Landor thought it only fit for the lips of Printer's Devils - and there could be no discussion as to its proper use"
Oh and there is just so much more, you know you want this. Hoping this tides me over until I can afford the 20 volume Complete Works of which there are only 750.
Today I picked up the 1919 two volume The Letters of Agernon Charles Swinburne in glorious hardcover from America's oldest continuously operated bookstore. Librarything tells me no one else has a set, out of a million users and a book that came out 90 years ago I find that hard to believe.
From the Introduction: "We have a scholar talking to some other scholar of things intimately seductive to them both, and he does with what is almost the ardor of a schoolboy"
This is not the complete set and the editor thinks that may not ever be possible as letters always continuously turn up, some were sadly destroyed, some are still held in secret, but that this was the most complete set possible at the time.
And the Saints commingle: (first page lost)"...names, that the publisher of the biography ( a very contemptible cur) took fright and would not forsooth allow them to be duly analysed. He will receive chastisement, and the subject elucidation, when my commentary appears, as they both respectfully deserve...My book will at least handle the whole question of Blake's life and work with perfect fearlessness and with thorough admiration" and yes there is the letter about Saint Burton's biographer!
On dreadful facsimiles (Yes Kensington, I am speaking to you):
"I wish the ugly and barbarous word "facsimile" were abolished - Landor thought it only fit for the lips of Printer's Devils - and there could be no discussion as to its proper use"
Oh and there is just so much more, you know you want this. Hoping this tides me over until I can afford the 20 volume Complete Works of which there are only 750.