Title: The Borough. By the Rev. George Crabbe. In Two Volumes. Volume II only. Third Edition
Author: Rev. George Crabbe (1754–1832)
Publisher: J. Hatchard, Bookseller To Her Majesty, 190 Piccadilly, London
Printer: Brettell and Co., Marshall-Street, Golden-Square, London
Date: 1810
Edition: Third Edition
Volumes: Volume II only (of two)
 
Features & Binding
 
Rare third edition (1810) of The Borough by renowned poet George Crabbe.
Quarter-bound in red calf leather with textured red cloth boards.
Panelled spine with gilt titles, gilt lettering for Cranbrook School Library, and additional gold ink notation I/G/P at the base.
Sprinkled page edges, yellow endpapers and pastedowns.
A special school library edition, marked and held by the prestigious Cranbrook School, Kent, founded in 1518 by John Blubery.
 
Provenance: Cranbrook School Library
 
This copy bears the marks of Cranbrook School Library, a historic English grammar school with a long-standing academic tradition. It contains:
Cranbrook School Library bookplate on the front pastedown (with pen/pencil annotations).
Library ink stamps on the title page and page 101.
Gilt spine lettering identifying Cranbrook School Library.
An inscription and early library markings, consistent with institutional usage.
Such provenance offers fascinating insight into how early 19th-century literature circulated within academic institutions.
 
Condition Report
 
Exterior:
Strong and robust binding.
Light rubbing at edges and joints.
Light marks on boards, minor wear to extremities.
Spine gilt remains legible and attractive.
 
Interior:
Pages generally neat, lightly tanned with scattered foxing, heaviest on title and preliminaries.
Small hole in page 1 and verso (first poem), not affecting the text.
Library plate, stamps, and inscriptions as described.
Label remnants on the front free endpaper.
Occasional small marks or smudges.
No further rips, all pages securely bound.
 
Pagination: Complete — 211 pages.
Dimensions: 16.4 × 10.3 × 1.9 cm
Weight: 234g
 
Historical & Literary Context
 
George Crabbe (1754–1832), the celebrated English poet, is renowned for his unflinching depictions of rural life and society. The Borough (first published in 1810) contains his famous poem Peter Grimes, later inspiring Benjamin Britten’s opera. The third edition, offered here, was printed the same year as the first, testifying to the work’s immediate popularity.
 
Cranbrook School’s ownership marks further enhance this book’s interest. Founded in 1518, Cranbrook was one of the most prominent grammar schools in Kent. Books bearing its marks are rare survivals of an educational library tradition spanning centuries.