Lot 110: CONGREVE, WILLIAM.

Six volumes by Congreve and one other:

Congreve, William. The Mourning Muse of Alexis. A pastoral lamenting the death of our late gracious Queen Mary... For Jacob Tonson, 1695, folio, first edition, title within heavy black border, half calf, marbled boards, spine with two raised bands, morocco lettering-piece, [Wing C5859; Grolier Wither to Prior 191; Hayward 136A; Pforzheimer 207], upper cover detached; The Mourning Muse... For Jacob Tonson, 1695, folio, "second edition", title within heavy black border, modern boards, [Wing C5860], corner (90 x 35mm) of title torn away (affecting border), some spotting and browning; The Mourning Bride, a Tragedy. As it is acted at the Theatre in Lincoln's Inn-Fields. For Jacob Tonson, 1697, 4to, first edition, contemporary calf, covers with central panel in blind, fleurons at each corner, [Wing C5856; The London Stage, I, p.474; Pforzheimer 205], slightly damp-stained, rebacked, corners repaired; another copy, contemporary morocco gilt, covers with roll-tooled panels, fleurons and triangular designs, lacking E2 and E3, heavily darkened, missing large portion of spine, partially disbound, a poor copy; the "second editon", For Jacob Tonson, 1697, 4to, modern quarter red morocco, [Wing C5858], spotted; the "third edition", for Jacob Tonson, 1703, 4to, disbound, slightly spotted; [together with:] [Mallet, David.] A Poem to the Memory of Mr. Congreve... For J. Millan, 1729, first edition, half-title, [Foxon M56], without D gathering (advertisements); [bound with:] [The Christian Priest.] [For B. Creake, 1729], first edition, [Foxon C167], lacking A gathering (all before text of poem); 2 works in one volume, 8vo, modern brown morocco-backed cloth, occasional light spotting, extremities slightly worn (7)

[The Mourning Muse, first edition:] Huth Library, book-label (Huth sale at Sotheby's, 7 June 1912, lot 1743)

Congreve's tragedy The Mourning Bride was first produced at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre in February 1697, with a hugely successful thirteen-day run. Gildon later recalled: "This Play had the greatest Success, not only of all Mr Congreve's, but indeed of all the Plays that ever I can remember on the English Stage, excepting some of the incomparable Otway's."

There are two 1697 "second" editions of the play: one, with a mis-printed date of 1679 (Wing C5857) may be a piracy according to Pforzheimer, the other (Wing C5858, as in the fifth item in the present lot) with a correct date.