Attention Collectors of Poetry!!!
You are bidding on a super rare antique hardcover book titled The Works of the British Poets. With Prefaces, Biological and Critical. By Robert Andersen. The book is printed in London for John & Arthur Arch, and for Bell & Bradfute and J. Mundell & Co., 1795. The book is part of a larger set.
Imagine, this book is well over 200 years old!!! It is an extremely scarce book and it has very interesting provenance.
The title page lists works from the following Poets:
Parnell, Garth, Rowe, Addison, Hughes, Sheffield, Prior, Congreve, Blackmore, Fenton, Granville & Yalden.
Book contains 380 pages.
Book is fully bound in red leather with gold lettering and gold decoration on the spine. Covers firmly attached with slight split of front cover (only about 1" at top). There is gold decoration around the border of the front and rear covers. There is even gilt design on the inside leather of the covers! All pages are clean and tightly bound. The outside page edges have bright gilt edge. There are also decorative swirling endpages. Book shows some general edge/corner wear but remains in overall very good condition.
In addition, this book has very interesting provenance. It has a bookplate of George Veitch - Writer To The Signet. George Veitch was a member of the Royal Company of Archers in 1810. There are also a few scattered old ink stamps from the Mercantile Library, Philadelphia.
About the Royal Company of Archers:
The Royal Company of Archers functions as the Sovereign's 'Body Guard in Scotland'.
It performs duties at the request of The Queen at any State and ceremonial occasion taking place in Scotland. The Royal Company also provided a guard on vigil during Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's lying-in-state.
The Royal Company's most regular duty is to be in attendance at Her Majesty's annual garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
About 120 members of the Royal Company form avenues down which The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh proceed while guests chosen at random are presented to them by the Company's Captain-General and President of the Council.
Another major duty is attendance outside St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, at the service of installation of Knights of the Thistle. Members of the Company also attend Investitures at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the presentation of new Colours for Scottish regiments.
Apart from its role as the Sovereign's bodyguard, the Royal Company of Archers still functions as an archery club - the purpose for which it was originally formed in 1676.
In return for being endowed with "perpetual access to all public butts, plains and pasturages legally allotted for shooting arrows", including the grounds at the Palace at Holyroodhouse, the Royal Company is required to present to the Sovereign three barbed arrows on request.
Members of the Royal Company must be Scots or have strong Scottish connections. Membership is by election. The structure of the organisation is divided between officers and members.
By seniority, the officers comprise one Captain-General, four Captains, four Lieutenants, four Ensigns and twelve Brigadiers.
Members of the Royal Company of Archers wear a distinctive uniform. It features a dark green tunic with black facings, dark green trousers with black and crimson stripe, and a Balmoral bonnet with the Royal Company's badge and an eagle feather.
This book would make a wonderful addition to a collection. This is quite a wonderful relic from a bygone era!
Great gift idea!
(Inventory: 544)