Book Description

"Newly edited from the original MSS by Israel Gollancz". Top edge gilt (faintly spotted); marbled endpapers and bookplate. Osborne’s letters were first published in 1888, and were a Victorian bestseller — they were edited and modernized in spelling, punctuation and syntax, by Judge Parry. This edition, produced fifteen years later was edited by Israel Gollancz, largely based on Parry’s earlier work, though corrected by comparison with the original letters at the British Museum. Parry sued for breach of copyright. The case of Parry v. Moring and Gollancz established that derivative works, such as edited texts, of non-copyrightable materials can themselves be copyrighted. The resulting judgement called for all unsold copies of this edition, and the stereo plates from which they were printed, be turned over. Though not rare, this edition is uncommon, and this copy has newspaper clippings regarding the case affixed to several of the blank preliminary and terminal leaves.
Dealer Notes
Transcriptions of 71 letters written in the 17th century, towards the end of a clandestine seven-year courtship. Osborne and Temple met when they were both around 20 and, despite opposition from their families, they chose to hold firm against arranged marriages – for the then usual reasons of family, political connection, or financial gain -– and marry for love. Her letters (his replies did not survive) are now held by the British Library; they are undated, but are from the last two years of their courtship 1652-54, and reflect the daily life of a woman of her class.
Author Dorothy Osborne
Date 1903
Binding Full deep red morocco by Henderson & Bisset
Publisher Alexander Moring The De La More Press
Condition Fine
Pages 364

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