[SOUTH CAROLINA] PERCIVAL, James G.

Clio [Parts I & II, bound with] Ion; a Tragedy in Five Acts, by Thomas Noon Talfourd

Charleston, SC / New Haven / New York: S. Babcock / S. Converse / George Dearborn & Co, 1822 - 1837. First Edition. The three works bound in one volume. 12mo (17cm); contemporary full calf gilt; marbled endpapers; viii,108 [+] 132 [+] x,109,[1]pp; final title followed by 8-pp publisher's catalog for G. Dearborn & Co. All three titles bound without original wrappers; Part I of Clio without the leaf of ads, as usual (noted by Blanck only in the Yale copy). A handsome binding, the boards ruled with both gilt and blind ornaments. Joints stressed, with thin cracks at head and heel, but holding strong; spine leather more heavily rubbed and slightly crackled from parching, but sound. Internally quite fresh: an appealing volume, about Very Good. With the early bookplate and ownership signature of a Daniel Lord Jr. (This likely being the prominent New York City attorney, second principal of the distinguished firm Lord, Day & Lord, whose clients included John Jacob Astor).

Gathers the first two (of three) numbers of Percival's Clio, a collection begun during his poet-geologist's brief southern sojourn following his matriculation from Yale. The first part, published in Charleston in 1822, is a desirable and early Carolina imprint. A third part did not appear until 1827 (New York: G. & C. Carvill), which might explain its absence here. It is worth noting that Shoemaker does not record the individual pamphlet issues of Clio I & II, but does record an edition of the two parts bound together. Based upon OCLC cataloguing data, we strongly suspect that the combined issue appeared separately from the pamphlet issues (contra BAL), as there is a nearly 2-cm. difference between the two (the combined issue being shorter) and our copy does not have the appearance of having been severely trimmed. Whether the two issues appeared simultaneously, we haven't the authority to say. But we welcome the purchaser to further bibliographical scrutiny.

The inclusion here of Talfourd's late Georgian drama Ion, in place of the third number of Clio, we put down to Mr. Lord's apparent preference for mixing Classical metaphors – there is no connection between the works to our knowledge. The Dearborn & Co. catalog appearing at the end of Ion includes a lengthy (3pp) promotion for Dearborn's American Monthly Magazine, which the publisher had recently acquired from Henry William Herbert. BAL 15888-9; IMPRINTS 9874 (Clio, noting only an issue of parts I & II together); 46981 (Ion, this being the first of four American editions published in the same year).

Price: $650.00

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