Zapolya: A Christmas Tale; in Two Parts: The Prelude entitled "The Usurper's Fortune;" and The Sequel, entitled "The Usurper's Fate."
London: Rest Fenner, 1817. First Edition. 8vo, 8 3/8 x 5 1/4 in. (213 x 132 mm); viii + 128 pp; complete with the half title, preface, list of characters. BEAUTIFUL BINDING by RIVIÈRE & SON, full polished calf, with triple gilt fillets on front and back, extra gilt spine with five raised bands and pomogranate motifts in panels, brown morocco labels, gilt dentelles on turn-ins, black endpapers. Binding is tight and pages are clean and bright.
[Wise 46; Haney 29; Prideaux p.46].
An elegant copy of Coleridge's Christmas dramatic poem modeled after Shakespeare's Winter's Tale and written with Byron's encouragement. In the Preface (styled Advertisement) Coleridge writes "The form of the following dramatic poem is in humble imitation of the Winter's Tale of Shakespear [sic.]... I shall be well content if my readers will take it up, read and judge it as a Christmas tale"
«The success of Zapolya with the reading public resulted in the Tale quickly finding, in an adapted-form, a place upon the stage. (It was advertised in The Morning Post of Monday, February 9th, 1818 as) a Grand Melodrama in Three Acts, founded on Mr. Coleridge's favourite Poem called Zapolya: or the Warwolf.» [Wise 46].
Condition: fine.
Item number: 319
Price: $1,750.00
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