The genuine letters of Junius. To which are prefixed Anecdotes of the author. Piccadilly
London: printed in the year, 1771. 8vo, pp. [8], xx, 366; 20th century marbled boards backed in vellum, new red morocco label on spine; good and sound, with the approbationary [?] signature on the title-p. of N. Norton. The Anecdotes of the author assume that Junius was Edmund Burke. This is the so-called "Picadilly Edition," a reissue of the original 1771 edition, with additional letters (pp. 257-366); page 366 has the catchword: "LET-". In this issue there is no colon after "London" in the imprint. The Anecdotes of the author assume that he was Edmund Burke with cancel half-title, title page and first leaf of 'Contents' (signed A3). In this issue there is a colon after "London" in the imprint. "The secret of the authorship of these letters which puzzled the men of the last century still remains unsolved, and it may be added that with our present information it is practically insoluble" (Halkett & Laing III. 327), although current scholarship seems to suggest that they are the work of Sir Philip Francis (1740-1818). "The first of the letters of Junius appeared in Woodfall's Public Advertiser in London, Jan. 21, 1769. Further letters appeared irregularly until 21 Jan. 1772. The series attracted enough attention to make it profitable for various booksellers to bring out editions of the letters before the series was concluded. At least 16 of these unauthorized partial editions were published before the end of 1771. In addition, individual letters were published in other political collections" (NCBEL, II, 1178). One record in OCLC suggests there is a portrait frontispiece, not present here. Cordasco, Junius Bibliography 37 (making no mention of a frontispiece); Lowndes, p. 1241. Item #31225
Price: $450.00
