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First edition, 12mo, pp. [6], 183, [1]; original drab paper-covered boards, blue paper shelfback; top of spine chipped, and some cracking along the joints, one gathering extended, but generally a good, sound, and most interesting copy. Ownership signature on front pastedown of David Hirwes (?). The whole text extensively altered, corrected, redacted, and supplemented by hand (in ink), seemingly in preparation for a new edition-which was never produced. Approximately two-thirds of the pages contain corrections, cross-outs, and other emendations, some as long as a paragraph; similarly, the prelims are also heavily corrected, and one leaf of Commendatory Verses, signed "T.K., Printer's Devil" is excised and not present - clearly on purpose. There are also manuscript changes to the printer's imprint as well as to title itself. Another leaf is loose, but present. An excellent example of a noted author at work in the Romantic era. Rose (1775-1842) held a number of government posts in Parliament, and was an MP himself from Christchurch. He famously translated Orlando Furioso, and wrote plenty of satire. He was an acquaintance of Lord Byron and championed the Italian poets. The text of the book concerns "amusing and entertaining anecdotes about monkeys, which were popular pets among aristocrats in the 18th and 19th centuries. The book is written in the form of a letter of apology to the Travelers Club, a prestigious social club in London. Rose explains that he was inspired to write the book after spending time with a group of monkeys owned by a friend. He goes on to recount various humorous and sometimes absurd stories about the monkeys, including their mischievous behavior, their interactions with humans, and their intelligence and cunning" (amazon[dot]com).
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