The Rising Village, With Other Poems
Saint John, N.B. Published for the Author By John McMillan, 1834. 1st Canadian Edition. Hardcover. 32mo. Good+ / No Jacket. Item #008082
Quarter grey cloth, faded green moire boards. A.E.G. 144 pp. Professionally rebacked (spring 2021), new spine label, moire is original. Original endpapers, with ink ownership insciption dated 1897 to front pastedown. White and black stains to boards, wear to extremities, bumping to corners. Some rust spotting to interior. First published in 1825, this is the best known work of Oliver Goldsmith [St. Andrews, N.B., 1794-1861], the first native-born Canadian poet. It is the first book-length poem published in Canada, and it depicts the progress of settlement and civilization in a Maritime community, while cautioning remaining loyal to Britain. (The Canadian Encyclopedia) It was described by Klinck et al (Literary History of Canada) as "the first volume of verse ever published in Canada by a native-born Canadian to receive serious attention at the hands of critics and literary historians." A scarce copy of an important work of Canadiana.
Price: $1,350.00