Gay's The Shepherd's Week in Six Pastorals

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Author: Gay, John
Title: The Shepherd's Week in Six Pastorals
Place Published: London
Publisher:R. Burleigh
Date Published: 1714 (but 1716)
Description:

[16], 60, [4] pp. With seven etched plates by Louis du Guernier (included in pagination). (8vo) 19.4x11.5 cm (7¾x4½"), later full green morocco lettered in gilt on spine, raised bands, gilt dentelles. Early issue.

"John Gay's burlesque pastoral poem, The Shepherd's Week, has its origin in a literary-critical debate concerning the nature of pastoral poetry that took place in the early part of the eighteenth century. In April 1713 a series of five articles, written by Thomas Tickell (1686-1740) appeared in Richard Steele's The Guardian, arguing for a revival of the realistic English tradition in pastoral, going back especially to Spenser. Tickell particularly praised the pastoral poems of Ambrose Philips (1674-1749), but almost totally neglected those of Gay's friend, Alexander Pope (1688-1744), which had been published at the same time: in Tonson's Miscellany,..." -Gordon, Ian. "The Shepherd's Week". The Literary Encyclopedia
Condition Report: Mild darkening to spine; some creasing and rippling to pages, occasional stains, offsetting from dentelles, a few early pen marks in index at rear; very good.