Anecdotes, Observations, and Characters. Of Books and Men. Collected From the Conversation of Mr. Pope, and Other Eminent Persons of His Time

The first edition of this comical and insightful collection of anecdotes by Joseph Spence. The first edition of this work. This is a humorous collection of literary and historical anecdotes, featuring anecdotes on Queen Anne, Buonaparte, Issac Newton, Alexander Pope, and more. Written by Joseph Spence, an anecdotist who is best known for this collection of literary anecdotes. This work was unpublished until after his death. Edited with notes and a life of the author by Samuel Weller Singer. Singer was a scholar on William Shakespeare, as well as being an author. He found this manuscript among Spence's papers, and printed the full transcript for the first time in 1820. With a frontispiece of Joseph Spence. In a half calf binding with marbled paper to the boards, rebacked with the original spine and boards laid on. Externally, with some rubbing to the paper to the boards. Evidence of tape being formerly adhered to the tail of the boards close to the joints. Institutional label for the Cheltenham Public Library to the front pastedown. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are bright with the odd scattered spot, with the frontispiece and title page being age-toned with heavier spotting, a light tidemark to the frontispiece, and an ink mark to the title page. The odd pencil mark to the margins. Institutional blind stamp to the first and last few pages. Good.…