James Thomson; Percival Stockdale — The Seasons

London, A. Hamilton, 1793. Leather. An illustrated edition of James Thomson's most popular Romantic poem, the first with Percival Stockdale's notes. This is the first edition with Percival Stockdale's notes.Illustrated with a frontispiece, vignette title page, four plates, and eight in-text engravings.Collated, complete.'The Seasons' is James Thomson's best known poem.The work is a series of four poems, each focusing on one season of the year.'The Seasons' is a long blank verse poem, and reflects on the landscape of the countryside. For the poem, Thomson borrowed Milton's Latin influence vocabulary and inverted word order.This was an immensely popular and influential work when it was published, inspiring the likes of Thomas Gainsborough and J. M. W. Turner.The work wasn't just influential in the literary world, but also in the legal world; there were disputes over the publishing rights for the poem, and it led to two important legal decisions, Millar v. Taylor and Donaldson v. Beckett, both landmarks in the history of copywritings. In a half morocco binding with marbled paper to the boards, rebacked with the original boards restored. Externally, generally smart, with a little rubbing to the boards. Minor bumping to the extremities. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are lightly age-toned and generally clean with some odd spots. Tidemark to the first few pages. Very Good . Ill.: Not Stated. Very Good .