PRIOR, Matthew (1664-1721). Poems on Several Occasions. London: for Jacob Tonson at Shakespear’s-Head and John Barber, 1718.
Large folio (472 x 279 mm). Engraved frontispiece, large engraved vignettes on title-page and in the text, engraved initials (some offsetting from frontispiece to title). Full contemporary olive calf gilt extra with large gilt-rolled border composed of two rolls, sides with a large central “Harleian” lozenge built-up from individual tools, including drawer-handles and acorns, rebacked preserving original spine of 8 compartments and raised bands, new morocco lettering-piece gilt in second, others completely gilt, edges gilt, gilt dentelles, marbled endpapers (corners discreetly repaired; cloth slipcase. (Dampstain at top gutter to preliminary blanks, very occasional light foxing, else fine). Provenance: Charles Butler, 1st Earl of Arran (1671-1758), large armorial bookplate and subscriber who is listed as having ordered 5 copies.
THE FIRST AND BEST OF THE RARE Tonson subscription folio editions, ONE OF A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF COPIES ONLY, of this sumptuous “Superfine” issue, with the watermark of a fleur-de-lys surmounting a shield, organized and published by Prior’s friends (some sheets include the Strasbourg bend watermark the was used generally for the subscribers). A VERY FINE SUBSCRIBER’S COPY. Foxon, p. 641; Heawood, Watermarks 63.