Rouge et Noir, in six cantos. Versailles and other poems. 2nd edn.

(READ, Lt.-Col. William)

Published by C. & J. Ollier. 1821, 1821

About this Item

Half title. Uncut & partially unopened in orig. blue boards, drab spine, paper label; spine dulled & sl. chipped at head & tail. Ownership inscription of Geoffrey Tillotson, 1941. v.g. This second edition, published the same year as the first, TCD & Cambridge only on Copac. Previously ascribed to Sir John Dean Paul, but now known to be by the Irish poet William Read, c.1795-1866, lieutenant colonel in the Royal North Down Rifles. Set in France, Rouge et Noir is an anti-heroic poem on the evils of gambling: 'Accursed game! thy blight is everywhere / Thy lawless fingers pilfer every purse.' The notes that follow the poem include fascinating details on the process of preparing frogs 'for the cuisinier', and on the varying "systems" for losing one's money at the gambling tables.

Seller Inventory # 63325

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Rouge et Noir, in six cantos. Versailles and other poems. 2nd edn.
• Publisher: C. & J. Ollier. 1821
• Publication Date: 1821
• Binding: Hardcover
• Seller catalogs:
  • THE ROMANTICS