The English Garden 1781 William Mason full leather antiquarian poem
 
The English Garden: A Poem. In Four Books By William Mason (1781)
With illustrated Engraved frontispiece portrait of William Mason
 
Bibliographic Details
 
Author: William Mason (1724–1797)
Title: The English Garden: A Poem. In Four Books
Publication: Printed in York by A. Ward; sold by J. Dodsley, T. Cadell, R. Faulder, and J. Todd
Date: M.DCC.LXXXI (1781)
Format: Four books bound as one volume, each with separate title pages, pagination, and registers
Illustration: Engraved frontispiece portrait of William Mason
Binding: Contemporary full calf, panelled spine with gilt title
Collation: Complete — all pages present, including ‘General Postscript’
Size: Approx. 27 × 22 × 1.6 cm
Weight: Approx. 635 g
 
Physical Details
 
Full calf binding with panelled spine and gilt title
Original eighteenth-century binding, fragile but complete
Spine retains structure despite splits along joints
Boards intact with expected age-related wear
Multiple title pages reflecting staggered publication dates (1777–1781)
Pages lightly tanned with occasional edge rips and pin-prick holes
Engraved portrait frontispiece present
Early pen inscriptions on front free endpaper and half title only
All main text pages secure and tightly bound
 
Note on Book II pagination:
Pages are present but are incorrectly positioned in early sequence; a known and acceptable antiquarian binding irregularity, not a defect or loss.
 
About the Book
 
The English Garden is one of the most significant eighteenth-century English poems devoted to landscape gardening. Written in blank verse, Mason’s work reflects the philosophical and aesthetic ideals of the English landscape movement, moving away from rigid formality toward naturalistic beauty.
 
The poem was written and published in stages between 1772 and 1781, which explains the differing publication locations, dates, and editions within this single bound volume. Copies such as this, containing all four books together with the General Postscript, are increasingly scarce.
 
About the Author
 
William Mason was an English poet and clergyman, closely associated with Thomas Gray.
 
Rarity & Market Context
 
Early full-calf copies with engraved portrait present are extremely rare
Most surviving copies are later half-leather, rebacked, or incomplete
Institutional holdings (British Library, Bodleian) confirm early fragmented publication
Complete 1781 calf-bound copies are seldom on the market
Features enhancing value:
Complete text and portrait 
Original full calf binding 
 
Collector Notes
 
This is a serious antiquarian item, not decorative:
Perfect for collectors of eighteenth-century poetry, landscape history, or Thomas Gray’s literary circle
Strengthens upper-tier catalogue, appealing to international institutions and private collectors
Features and complexity justify the “extremely rare” designation