Spenser (Edmund) The Faerie Queen: The Shepheards Calendar: Together with the Other Works of England's Arch-Poët, Edm. Spenser, general title within woodcut border (laid down with portion of loss), Faerie Queene with woodcut cartouches to head of each canto, Shepheards Calender with woodcut illustrations, divisional titles, woodcut initials and head- and tail-pieces, with blanks 2H6 & F4, Sig.[par] (Letter to Raleigh & commendatory sonnets) bound at end and lacking final blank [par]9, FQ M6 small loss to inner-margin, O6 with few ink marks mostly to margins, Z6 portion of loss affecting 2 stanzas with text supplied in later ink manuscript (affecting also cartouche to verso), [par]6 small loss to head affecting woodcut head-piece, FQ with occasional marginal annotation (slightly trimmed), very occasional minor worm trace to head of gutter, some light damp-staining to final few Sig. and ink splashes to final few ff., occasional spotting and the odd light stain, some light browning, 19th century half calf, stain to spine foot, quite worn, especially to corners, upper cover detached, [Pforzheimer 973; STC 23084], folio, H.L. for Mathew Lownes, 1611-13 [but later ?1615].

⁂ First collected edition of Spenser's works, second (?1615) issue with the title to the second part of the Faerie Queene dated 1612 and the colophon "16012" [sic]. With the Prosopopoia. Or Mother Hubberds Tale consisting of a single gathering A of 8 leaves and dated 1613 on the title, not found in the first issue.

Provenance: "G.W. & B. Frere, E dono Johannis Frere vicesimo & nono die Januarii ad 1789" (gift inscription to front free endpaper, ownership name "Geo: Frere" also to head of general title).