John Cunningham Poetical Works 1795 Cooke Illustrated Antiquarian
 
Bibliographic Details
The Poetical Works of John Cunningham. With the Life of the Author.
John Cunningham (1729–1773).
London: Printed for C. Cooke, No. 17, Paternoster-Row, by J. Aspin, Lombard Street, Whitefriars, 1795.
Part of Cooke's Pocket Edition of the original and complete works of select British poets, or Entertaining Poetical Library.
The volume contains Cunningham's pastorals, prologues, fables, epilogues, tales, epigrams, odes, imitations, songs, miscellaneous pieces and a Life of the Author.
The 1795 date is supported by the dated engravings within this copy. The bibliographical record for the Cooke series shows that Cunningham's works were subsequently issued in 1797 and 1800, making this an early 1795 Cooke issue. However, the evidence located does not establish this particular copy as a formally designated first edition or first impression, so it is not described as such.
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
John Cunningham was an Irish-born poet, playwright and actor whose literary career developed alongside his work in the theatre. His poetry includes pastorals, songs, fables, occasional verse, theatrical prologues and epilogues, and imitations of classical poets.
Cooke's Pocket Edition was an ambitious late eighteenth-century publishing venture intended to make the works of British poets available in attractive, relatively inexpensive illustrated volumes. Surviving examples demonstrate the use of engraved title pages, portraits, plates and decorative illustrations, with dated plates sometimes providing valuable evidence for the chronology of individual issues. A surviving 1795 Cunningham copy is recorded by the National Library of Wales, while later 1797 and 1800 issues are separately catalogued.
The present copy is particularly interesting for its combination of early date, contemporary-style pocket format, engraved material and an early nineteenth-century ownership inscription dated April 1835.
 
About the Author
John Cunningham (1729–1773) was born in Dublin and became a poet, playwright and actor. His theatrical career brought him to England, where he performed with travelling companies and became associated particularly with the north of England and Newcastle.
His writing reflects the literary and theatrical culture of the Georgian period, encompassing pastoral poetry, songs, occasional verse and numerous pieces written for the stage.
 
About the Illustrator
The volume contains several engraved illustrations associated with the Cooke publishing programme.
The frontispiece is engraved by W. Angus from a design by W. H. Brown. The engraved half-title is associated with R. Corbould, and the portrait of Cunningham is engraved by W. Ridley from an original drawing. A further engraved plate facing page 106 was drawn by R. Corbould and engraved by C. Warren.
There are also smaller engraved illustrations and decorative material throughout.
 
Binding & Exterior Description
An early binding in brown paper-covered boards with leather covering to the spine and inner board edges. The spine is divided by five tooled bands.
The binding is heavily worn, with considerable rubbing, scratches, edge wear and tears to the spine. The front board is detached. Please refer to the photographs for the full condition of the binding.
Despite its substantial wear, the binding retains the character of an early pocket-format volume.
 
Interior Condition
The pages are age-toned and generally legible, with occasional light marks and small creases.
There is some rubbing to page 59, affecting the word “the” in the line “To the palace of Delight”, together with a small mark through the word “honours”. Please see the photograph.
There are occasional very small edge tears. The front free endpaper is torn at the inner margin through approximately three quarters of its length and is partially loose but remains attached.
All remaining pages are securely and tightly bound.
 
Physical Details
Approximately 14.6 × 9.1 × 1.3 cm.
Weight approximately 125 grams.
Small 12mo pocket-format volume.
 
Completeness
The surviving text has been checked against the contents.
Pages 73–80 inclusive are missing, together with pages 101–102. Remnants remain at the inner margins of pages 101–102.
The missing leaves mean that the volume is incomplete, and this is reflected in the valuation.
The principal engraved material present includes the frontispiece, engraved half-title, engraved portrait of Cunningham and the engraved plate facing page 106, together with smaller illustrations and decorative engravings.
 
Provenance
The front free endpaper bears the handwritten inscription:
“John B. Richardson April 1835”.
This provides an early nineteenth-century ownership record and is an attractive period feature of the copy, although the identity and historical significance of John B. Richardson cannot be established from the inscription alone.
There is also a small amount of pencil to the front pastedown.
 
Collector Summary
An early 1795 Cooke Pocket Edition of the poetry of John Cunningham, illustrated with engraved material and accompanied by an early ownership inscription dated 1835.
An appealing survivor of Georgian popular poetry publishing, particularly suitable for collectors interested in eighteenth-century poetry, theatrical history, illustrated books and the development of Cooke's Pocket Edition.
The volume is offered as an incomplete antiquarian copy, with pages 73–80 and 101–102 absent and significant external wear.