An Essay on Man
"A thousand years may elapse before there shall appear another man with a power of versification equal to that of Pope." —Samuel Johnson
"Know then Thy-self, presume not God to scan;
The only Science of Mankind is Man."
—Essay on Man, Epistle II
FIRST EDITION OF ALL FOUR PARTS Pope’s great metaphysical treatise in verse.
"An Essay on Man began as a single epistle, from which the manuscripts show that it developed into a four-epistle poem on the limits of human knowledge (1), self-knowledge and ethics (2), the growth of society (3), and man's hope of happiness (4)" (DNB). First published anonymously, "Pope's Essay on Man was an international best-seller; within its first century, it appeared in over a hundred editions in eighteen languages, making Pope the first English poet to enjoy contemporary fame on the European continent" (Larrimore, The Problem of Evil).
London: for J. Wilford, 1733-34. Parts I-IV, bound in one volume. Folio, nineteenth-century three-quarter green morocco, marbled boards and endpapers. With rare “To the Reader” leaf, and with rare Contents and Ad leaves present in Part IV. With half-title (as called for) in Part III, but lacking half-title to Part II. Tape repairs to E1 and E2 (not affecting text) of Part I. Some soiling and paper loss along outer edges of tall, wide-margined text. Bookplate of “Carlingford” on front pastedown. Since the parts were issued separately, it is rare to find first editions of all four parts bound together. A handsome copy.
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