Poems of the Past and Present

Background details

First edition, first impression, one of 500 copies printed, of Thomas Hardy's second volume of verse, following Wessex Poems and Other Verses (1898).

This work "demonstrated - what all the succeeding poetry volumes would amply confirm - the exceptional number of different stanza forms and metres, whether inherited or invented, that Hardy was able to deploy... [Hardy] always disclaimed possession of a consistent philosophy, and in the preface to Poems of the Past and the Present described his poems as 'a series of feelings and fancies written down in widely differing moods and circumstances' - adding, perhaps with The Dynasts already in mind, 'Unadjusted impressions have their value, and the road to a true philosophy of life seems to lie in humbly recording diverse readings of its phenomena as they are forced upon us by chance and change'" (ODNB).

Synopsis of Book

First published by London and New York: Harper & Brothers in 1902

Condition of Book

Octavo. Original dark green cloth, spine lettered in gilt, gilt monogram medallion to front cover, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed.

Ink ownership inscriptions on front endpapers dated 1902 (one crossed out, the other decorated with a large floral sketch). Faint marks to otherwise bright cloth, endpapers foxed, contents clean. A very good copy indeed.

Purdy, pp. 107-118.

Book Details

• Category: Antique Books
• Category: Autographed book
• Purchased: 2024
• Price Paid: $809.00
• First Edition?: Yes
• Condition?: Very Good. Minor Foxing
• Comments: UK/US first edition