Flowers of the Year and Other Poems

Original green cloth with gilt lettering framed in gilt oval, on boards. All edges gilt. Ex-library with associated markings. Corners of pages 95 until the end are torn out (no rhyme or reason to it!). Poor Letitia must have been born under a black cloud, since both her life and her poetry are filled with death. She chronicles the murder of her husband by his brother, the death of Abraham Lincoln, the accidental fatal shooting of her brother, the drowning of another brother, the death of the widow of Thomas Moore, the death of Lord Palmerston, and titled other poems "Sudden Death", "On Death", and "On the Sudden Death of an Early Friend." Letitia had tremendous support from local bigwigs, for dozens of doctors, lawyers, ministers, and others lined up to sponsor this little book, and their names appear on the last 1 1/2 pages. Some of the poetry is more cheerful, but history buffs will be more interested in the details. Scarce. Size: 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall.