Stock #: CRW0701           $2250
PJP Catalog 58.295

     MILTON JOHN.
A COMPLETE COLLECTION OF THE HISTORICAL POLITICAL AND MISCELLANEOUS WORKS OF JOHN MILTON BOTH ENGLISH AND LATIN. WITH SOME PAPERS NEVER BEFORE PUBLISH'D. (Amsterdam  1698)   318 x 210 mm. (12 1/2 x 8 1/4").    Three volumes. First Complete Collected Edition.    Contemporary blind panelled calf rebacked and corners renewed (in the early 20th century?) with lighter colored calf raised bands gilt spine titling.    Volume I with frontispiece portrait of Milton by Faithorne.    Front pastedown of first volume with the bookplate of the Milton Library of Robert J. Wickenheiser; front free endpaper of each volume with inscription of Richard C. Dublin(?) 1874; flyleaf of volume I with signature of James Losh Lincolns Inn 1792 (see below); third volume with signature of Richard Cheneuix Trench on front flyleaf. Title page in red and black.    An assortment of abrasions and scratches on the covers one cover of the third volume with minute white specks but the bindings solidly restored and entirely inoffensive. Frequent light (and very occasionally more noticeable) foxing and browning faint marginal dampstain in a few gatherings only one leaf with defective margin not affecting the text a few minor rust holes and one paper flaw costing a few letters but still very good internally with nothing approaching a fatal defect.

This is the first edition of Milton's collected prose that attempts to be complete and it is considerably more extensive than the 1697 printing (see previous entry). Milton's "History of Britain" is among the English prose works appearing here but not in the earlier edition; his "Letter to a Friend" and "Present Means" are here published for the first time; and our third volume contains Milton's Latin prose writings. Despite the reference to Amsterdam on the title page this edition was published in England. It is sometimes known as "Toland's edition" but John Toland was not the editor even though his "Life" of Milton (see next item) is included here. Our early owner James Losh of Lincolns Inn could very well be the barrister of that name who lived from 1763-1833. That particular James Losh was on intimate terms with Wordsworth and was friends with Coleridge and Southey all of whom shared his strong interest in radical political reform. His two-volume "Diaries and Correspondence" was edited by Edward Hughes and printed 1962-63.

Shawcross 395; Coleridge 73; Wing M-2087.