{"product_id":"john-milton-paradise-lost-paradise-regain-d-john-baskerville-1758-first-baskerville-editions-merchant-taylors-company-armorial-copy","title":"John Milton — Paradise Lost \u0026 Paradise Regain’d — John Baskerville, 1758 — First Baskerville Editions — Merchant Taylors’ Company Armorial Copy","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMILTON, John.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eParadise Lost. A Poem, in Twelve Books. The Author John Milton. From the Text of Thomas Newton, D.D.\u003c\/em\u003e Birmingham: Printed by John Baskerville for J. and R. Tonson in London, 1758.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e[with]\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eParadise Regain’d. A Poem, in Four Books. To which is added Samson Agonistes: and Poems upon Several Occasions. The Author John Milton. From the Text of Thomas Newton, D.D.\u003c\/em\u003e Birmingham: Printed by John Baskerville for J. and R. Tonson in London, 1758.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo volumes, octavo. \u003cstrong\u003eFirst Baskerville editions; first octavo issues. Gaskell 4(a) and 5(a).\u003c\/strong\u003e Nineteenth-century black calf, the upper board of each volume prominently stamped in gilt with the arms of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors of London, spines lettered in gilt \u003cem\u003eMILTON’S POEMS\u003c\/em\u003e, numbered I–II and signed \u003cem\u003eBASKERVILLE\u003c\/em\u003e at foot; marbled endpapers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA handsome and unusually interesting copy of Baskerville’s celebrated first editions of Milton, combining a distinguished institutional armorial binding, an early dated ownership inscription, and a number of identifiable bibliographical states documented by Philip Gaskell.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBaskerville and the 1758 Milton\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two volumes represent one of the major productions of John Baskerville’s Birmingham press. Baskerville had established his reputation with the 1757 \u003cem\u003eVirgil\u003c\/em\u003e, and his Milton followed the next year. The typography displays the characteristics for which his press became celebrated: exceptionally clear roman and italic types, generous spacing, carefully prepared laid paper and strongly impressed black ink.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe edition was issued by subscription. Among the subscribers printed in volume I is the particularly notable entry: \u003cstrong\u003e“Benj. Franklin Esq. Philadelphia.”\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProvenance\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn early ownership inscription on the title page, subsequently substantially erased but still decipherable, appears to read: \u003cstrong\u003e“Matthew Smith 1760.”\u003c\/strong\u003e The date is noteworthy, being only two years after publication. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach volume bears on its upper board the large gilt armorial achievement of the \u003cstrong\u003eWorshipful Company of Merchant Taylors\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe nineteenth-century calf bindings show substantial but attractive age-related wear. Spines and extremities rubbed, with scattered abrasions and losses of surface leather, most conspicuous toward the lower spine of volume I; further wear to spine ends, raised bands and corners. The gilt spine lettering and the large Merchant Taylors’ armorial stamps remain clear and visually impressive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInternally the volumes are remarkably clean and well preserved, with generally strong, crisp impressions and only occasional light spotting, toning or handling marks. The faint erased early ownership inscriptions remain visible on the title pages. The initial blank leaf in each volume is absent, as recorded when the set was previously catalogued. The substantive text is otherwise complete.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA particularly appealing copy of the first Baskerville editions of Milton, distinguished by the Merchant Taylors’ Company armorial bindings, early 1760 ownership inscription, Benjamin Franklin’s appearance in the subscriber list, and clearly identifiable press and cancel states.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBibliographic Note\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVolume I — \u003cem\u003eParadise Lost\u003c\/em\u003e, Gaskell 4(a), octavo issue:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA⁸ b⁸ c² B–2C⁸ 2D⁴ 2E², with cancel leaves at G7, H5, P1, T6, T8, X6, Z3 and Z5; pp. [32], 1–416.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the present set, the separately signed a–i section containing \u003cem\u003eThe Life of Milton\u003c\/em\u003e, properly belonging bibliographically to \u003cem\u003eParadise Regain’d\u003c\/em\u003e, is bound between the preliminary matter and text of \u003cem\u003eParadise Lost\u003c\/em\u003e. Gaskell specifically records this arrangement as occurring in some copies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cancel leaves are present in their corrected cancellans states, including the readings specified by Gaskell. Among the diagnostic examples are P1, with “With Satan” and “now is”, rather than the cancellandum readings “Which Satan” and “now his”; and Z3, with “execution, since denounc’d” rather than “execution, death as oft accused.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe copy nevertheless retains several of Gaskell’s recorded press errors and variants:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ep.75, line 3: originally printed “God his light”, with the \u003cem\u003eh\u003c\/em\u003e of “his” subsequently erased by hand to produce “God is light”;\u003cbr\u003ep.135: misnumbered “13”;\u003cbr\u003ep.346: the I in the otherwise italic running headline \u003cem\u003ePARADISE\u003c\/em\u003e is set in roman type.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese variants belong to the printing history of the edition and are distinct from the subsequently inserted cancel leaves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe initial blank A1 is wanting, as previously recorded for this copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVolume II — \u003cem\u003eParadise Regain’d\u003c\/em\u003e, Gaskell 5(a), octavo issue:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eπA² a–h⁴ i⁴(−i4) A–F⁸ (+1 unsigned leaf after F4) G–2A⁸ (+1 unsigned leaf after 2A7), with cancels at H2–3, O4, Q8, R8, Y7, Z5 and 2A8.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this set, the a–i gathering comprising the lxix-page \u003cem\u003eLife of Milton\u003c\/em\u003e has, as noted above, been transferred to volume I, an arrangement explicitly recorded by Gaskell for copies of the 1758 edition. The initial blank πA1 is wanting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second volume contains \u003cem\u003eParadise Regain’d\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSamson Agonistes\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eComus\u003c\/em\u003e, the shorter poems and Milton’s Latin verse, terminating at p.390.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReferences:\u003c\/strong\u003e Philip Gaskell, \u003cem\u003eJohn Baskerville: A Bibliography\u003c\/em\u003e, 4(a), 5(a); ESTC T133903 (\u003cem\u003eParadise Lost\u003c\/em\u003e) and T134224 (\u003cem\u003eParadise Regain’d\u003c\/em\u003e). The \u003cem\u003eParadise Regain’d\u003c\/em\u003e signature structure and cancel positions are independently recorded in the Folger catalogue.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Reservoir Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58086055149950,"sku":null,"price":700.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1018\/4464\/8318\/files\/IMG_0813.jpg?v=1790191968","url":"https:\/\/reservoirbooks.store\/products\/john-milton-paradise-lost-paradise-regain-d-john-baskerville-1758-first-baskerville-editions-merchant-taylors-company-armorial-copy","provider":"Reservoir Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}