POEM ON POETRY BY A PRIME MINISTER

Martinez de la Rosa, Francisco: Poetica. Palma: imprenta de Guasp Febrero 1831.

Poem on the art of poetry by Francisco Martinez de la Rosa (1787-1862), writer and (in 1831) once and future prime minister of Spain. In six cantos, the work treats general rules of composition; poetic locution; versification; the nature of various compositions; tragedy and comedy; epic. 1831 is the first year of publication; the work was also issued that year in an edition with lengthy commentary.

An interesting binding, the booklet is stitched into vellum wrappers, with the covers of its original printed publisher’s wrappers tipped to the endpapers (to judge by a small hole in the front paper cover, the new binding was added after some initial use).

Details

One volume, 14.4 cms. x 10 cms., vicesimoquarto (24mo.), pp. 72. Light browning, slight soiling and staining. Bound in vellum wrappers, with original covers (pink printed publishers’ wrappers) tipped respectively to recto and verso of endleaves. Doodles and inscriptions to verso of front free endpaper and to title-page, including of J.G. Riero[?].

CCPB000882414-2/CCPB000689204-3. Palau 155724 (Villalonga imprint). 

OCLC shows copies of this edition outside Spain at University of Tennessee (Chattanooga) and British Library.