Coleridge (Samuel Taylor) The Fall of Robespierre. An Historical Drama, first edition, proposal f. at end, title with small ink number and pencil library reference to head, B2 repaired tears to fore-edge with loss to couple letters to verso, occasional small staining, some light surface soiling, some old stab-holes to inner-margin, bound with numerous blank leaves at end, library bookplate, 19th century half morocco, small library sticker to spine foot, wear to corners, joints and extremities rubbed, [Wise Coleridge 1], 8vo, Cambridge, Benjamin Flower, 1794.

⁂ The first edition of Coleridge's first published work. Rare at auction, we can trace only 3 copies appearing since 1977, of which one without the final proposal leaf. The work started out as a sort of dramatic game or competition between Coleridge, Robert Southey and Richard Lovell: they undertook to produce a tragedy on Robespierre in three acts, in one day, with each working on a single act. Lovell failed to produce his act, but Southey and Coleridge did. Coleridge eventually completed the work, and the present published version is the first work to appear under his name - with the agreement of Southey, Coleridge's was the only name to appear on the title page.