An Essay on the Power and Harmony of Prosaic Numbers: Being a Sequel to One on the Power of Numbers and the Principles of Harmony in Poetic Compositions

Mason, John

Published by Printed by James Waugh for M. Cooper at the Globe in Pater-noster Row, London, 1749

About this Item

Bound in contemporary leather backed, paper covered boards. The book measures approx. 8.25 inches x 5.5 inches, and has a leather and gilt title label on the spine compartment. The paper on the boards is very lightly rubbed. Otherwise the binding is in beautiful condition. Internally, the endpapers to the front and rear of the volume are very lightly soiled. One page has a couple of small tears and a crease to the top margin. There are a few little light pencil markings. The contents are in clean and bright condition throughout. Title page, [iii]-xii, [1]-76. There are a number of wonderful engraved decorative devices. This is the elusive first edition of an extremely rare work on linguistics, which has been attributed to John Mason. George Saintsbury describes the rarity and importance of this volume in his 1857 "A History of English Prose Rhythm." He wrote: "I have referred several times in the text to the remarkable observations of John Mason a Nonconformist minister of the middle of the eighteenth century on the subject of this book and though I have not given much space for reasons of various kinds to the scanty preceptist literature of that subject I must make an exception in his case. Whether the tract is actually rare in the technical sense I cannot say. I can only say that when I first saw it in a catalogue some fifteen or sixteen years ago I had never seen it even referred to before that I have very seldom if ever seen a copy catalogued. Since that, except Mr Omond, nobody that I ever met seemed to know it till they heard of it from me and that several of my friends have found it impossible to procure." He goes on to mention only obtaining the 4th edition of 1757. This first edition is quite rare on the market indeed. Seller Inventory # 025606

Bibliographic Details

Title: An Essay on the Power and Harmony of Prosaic...

Publisher: Printed by James Waugh for M. Cooper at the Globe in Pater-noster Row, London

Publication Date: 1749

Binding: Leather

Condition: Very Good

Edition: First Edition.