AN ENQUIRY INTO THE NATURE OF CERTAIN NINETEENTH CENTURY PAMPHLETS

London: Scolar Press, 1983. Second edition. With an epilogue. Edited by Nicolas Barker & John Collins. Pp. 10+xii+400+[11]-42(last blank), frontispiece portrait, text illustrations, index; [together with] Barker (Nicolas) & John Collins. A SEQUEL TO AN ENQUIRY into the nature of certain nineteenth century pamphlets by John Carter and Graham Pollard. The forgeries of H. Buxton Forman and T. J. Wise re-examined. Pp. 394, frontispiece, text illustrations, appendices, concise list of sources, index; [and] Barrett (Elizabeth) & Robert Browning. TWO POEMS. Pp. 16(last colophon); printed paper wrappers, stabbed & tied, slightly browned and a trifle foxed; Chapman & Hall, London, 1854 [and] Barker (Nicolas) A NOTE ON TWO POEMS. Pp. 32(including the printed paper wrappers, stabbed & tied); the books demy 8vo; uniformly bound in full black leather, spines lettered and ruled in gilt; t.e.g.; the pamphlets slightly smaller, housed together in a qr. black leather portfolio with grey papered sides, spine lettered in gilt; all items contained within a single black cloth slipcase; Scolar Press, London, 1983. Volume one second edition, all other items first editions; Barker's Note on Two Poems being limited to 80 numbered copies. *First published in 1934, Carter and Pollard's An Enquiry Into The Nature of Certain Nineteenth Century Pamphlets exposed one of the most notorious literary scandals of the twentieth century. Thomas J. Wise, a highly esteemed book collector and bibliographer, was shown to have perpetrated numerous forgeries of minor works by nineteenth century authors. The exposure of Wise led to further discoveries, particularly his collaboration with Harry Buxton Forman, the editor of Keats and Shelley. The two poems, A Plea for the Ragged Schools of London, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and The Twins, by her husband, were donated by the Brownings to raise funds for the Ragged Schools. [For this item see Barnes, A Bibliography of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, A9 and Wise, A Bibliography of the Writings in Prose and Verse of Robert Browning, p. 221]. Wise and Forman copied the format of this genuine publication to produce some of their forgeries. Nicolas Barker's Note traces the history and provenance of this item from Harry Forman's initial acquisition of an unknown quantity of left-over copies of the pamphlet, to his son Maurice; from Maurice Forman through the hands of Percy Muir at Elkin Mathews to Muir's business partner Laurie Deval; and finally to the present limited edition.