LOT #45191 |
Sold on Jun 27, 2024 for: Sign-in
or Join (free & quick)
Henry Vaughan. Silex Scintillans: or Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations. London: T[homas]. W[alkley]. for H. Blunden,...
Click the image to load the highest resolution version.
Description
The very fine Yates-Bright-Greenhill-Martin copy of an exceedingly rare volume containing Vaughan's finest poetry
Henry Vaughan. Silex Scintillans: or Sacred Poems and
Private Ejaculations. London: T[homas]. W[alkley]. for H.
Blunden, 1650.8vo (150 x 90 mm.). Engraved title, including the final blank leaf G8. Contemporary blind-ruled sheep; full morocco pull-off case by Riviere & Son.
FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE (with the uncancelled title-leaf, dated 1650). "Vaughan's finest poetry was published in this rare volume. Its sales, however, were not large and unsold copies were re-issued with a second part in 1655" (Hayward). Henry Vaughan (1622-1695) occupies a unique position among English poets: The pervading atmosphere of mystic rapture, rather than isolated fine things, constitutes the main charm of his poems (DNB). The epithet Silurist, after the author's name on title, had a topographical significance, alluding to Brecknockshire (Vaughan's home county) and Herefordshire in the Welsh marshes, home of the Silures of ancient Britain.
EXCEEDINGLY RARE: during the remarkable auction season of 1989-1990, the Bradley Martin copy of Silex scintillans came on the market six months after the present appeared in the sale of the Garden Ltd., but none have been sold at auction since.
Condition: Discreetly rebacked preserving the original spine; a few other tiny repairs; some minor abrasions and stains; lacking rear free endpaper. Short wormtrack mostly at upper inner gutter, occasionally affecting or catching letters; leaf B3r cropped, as usual; lacking rear free endpaper. Overall, a very fresh and crisp copy in a contemporary binding.
References: Allison 8; Grolier, Wither to Prior 897; Hayward 81; Wing V125.
Provenance: Herny Manshaid?, an early owner, with his inscriptions (smudged) on upper margin of title; Samuel Ashton Thompson Yates (bookplate [partially obscured by later bookplate]); Hugh Bright (his Yates-library ticket dated 1903); James H. Pershing (his initials and date "J.H.P. 12-27-36" on front pastedown; his sale, Parke-Bernet, 26 November 1945, lot 312; Harold Greenhill (bookplate); H. Bradley Martin (his sale, Sotheby's New York, 1 May 1990, lot 3291). From the William A. Strutz Library.
View all of [The William A. Strutz Library ]
Auction Info
2024 June 27 Important English and American Literature: The William A. Strutz Library, Part I, Rare Books Signature® Auction #6295 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
June, 2024
27th
Thursday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 1
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 356
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
25% on the first $1,000,000 (minimum $49), plus 20% of any amount between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000, plus 15% of any amount over $5,000,000 per lot.
Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms
Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More
Terms and Conditions | Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments | Glossary of Terms