| Copynotes: | Title page soiled; torn in inner margin and written upon.
Contemporary claf. Oval ornament in blind on the sides, the back slightly defective.
The first uncancelled issue of the complimentary sonnets (Pp6 and Pp7). Inserted at the end are 2 (our of 4) leaves, containing the second or cancel issue of the complimentary sonnets, signed Qq and Qq3.
This copy has all the errors in pagination called for by Johnson, except for p. 309 which is correctly numbered, as in the copy in the possession of the Rosenbach Co., NY.
On p. 332 the Welsh words are omitted.
The title displays the date of imprint widely spaced.
Cuttings from bookseller's catalogues tucked inside front cover.
Bound in contemporary blind-stamped calf, oval ornament in blind on the sides, the back slightly defective.
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| Editionnotes: | Signatures: A-2P⁸, 2Q⁴ (-2Q2 and 4).
'The first edition of the first three books of the Faerie Queene.' Cf. Scrase and Croft.
One of three variants of this edition. This one has dedication on title page verso signed "Ed. Spenser"; first digit of imprint date is under the "r" of "for".
Printer's name from STC.
The complimentary sonnets to Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Burleigh, the Earl of Oxenford, Earl of Northumberland, exist in three states in the three variants; this copy has both the first and second issue of the sonnets, where quire 2Q is intended to cancel 2P6,7, but the latter are retained.
Imperfect: lacks leaves 2Q2 and 2Q4
Errors in pagination: pages 79, 82-83, 86-87, 90-91, 94, 317, 403, 439, 510, 562, 586 incorrectly numbered 81, 84-85, 88-89, 92-93, 96, 217, 40 [character 3 reversed and up-side down], 493, 600, 592, 589, respectively
Title vignette (printer's device of John Wolfe, a fleur-de-lis with motto "Ubique floret."); head and tailpieces; initials; caption at head of each canto enclosed in ornamental border.
Includes dedication to the 'Empresse Elizabeth' (A1v); "A Letter of the Authors expounding his whole intention in the course of this worke which for that it giueth great light to the Reader, for the better understanding is hereunto annexed" (2P1-2P3r); the sonnets "A vision upon this conceipt of the Faery Queene", "Another of the same", 'To the learned shepeheard" and other poems; laudatory poems to members of Court, list of errata (2P8v), and further poems to court members, signed E.S.
Blank spaces on p.332 (X7v), lines 4-5.
First leaves heavily annotated in a number of hands, including autograph of James Serjeantson and notes in his hand, prob. 19th century: "Spenser died in 1598", "Spenser flourished in the reign of Elizabeth and was patronized by Sir Philip Sidney". Autograph of Samuel Coates, dated 1857. Much older hands, including: "Barnadid", and '"Thomas ?Horne?". On final leaf: "Mr. George Taylor" in perhaps 18th c. hand. Calculations on A1r and 2O8v. Only minor and very occasional annotations throughout text.
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