Minstrel

James Beattie. The Minstrel. Or, The Progress of Genius and Other Poems. London: John Sharpe, 1816. First John Sharpe edition, originally published in two parts in 1771 and 1774. Twelvemo (6.375 x 3.75 inches; 160 x 95 mm.). [2, title-leaf (verso blank)], [5]-16 (critical observations), 176, [2, blank] pages; lacking the half-title leaf. Engraved title-page and 5 additional plates, from the designs of Richard Westfall, inserted throughout. Contemporary red straight-grain goatskin, boards tooled and triple-ruled in gilt and tooled in blind with blind-stamped floral corner pieces; spine in six compartments, the second lettered in gilt, others stamped in gilt and blind, with five raised bands; board edges tooled in gilt around the corners, turn-ins ruled in gilt; all edges of the text block gilt; dark gray endpapers, flyleaves; silk marker. Covers with a few minor scuffs and mild soil spots; board edges, particularly the spine ends, and the front joint lightly worn; backstrip faintly dulled; corners bumped and worn. Front free endpaper detached but present, plates and adjacent leaves foxed, but the text is still otherwise bright. Very good. (#10316).