AN ESSAY ON CRITICISM

San Francisco: John Henry Nash, 1928. Pp. [ii]+44(last blank)+[4], decorative headpiece, initial and tailpiece; med. 8vo; vellum paper backed, blue/grey papered boards, the spine lettered in gilt, lightly flecked, edges of boards a trifle browned, tiny graze to upper board; t.e.g., others uncut; bookplate of the library of The First Edition Club on upper pastedown, a very little light foxing; printed for William Andrews Clark, Jr., by John Henry Nash, San Francisco, 1928. Number 164 of 250 copies, being a facsimile reproduction of John Drinkwater's copy of the 1711 edition, with facsimile of his signature and notes on this edition printed on the upper free endpaper. *The seventh volume in a series produced by Nash as Christmas books for his chief patron, the book collector William Clark. Harlan, p. 61, notes: Each year Clark would select one of his favourite books and turn it over to Nash, who prepared a close facsimile of the original and his own reprinting of the text, based upon the best available edition. Specially processed paper was employed in the exacting printing from copper photo-engravings of the facsimile editions. The two volumes were then bound, the Nash version elaborately boxed, and presented by Clark during the Christmas season to a select group of friends and institutions. An edition never numbered more than 250 copies... Clark regarded these books as his private domain, closely supervising their distribution and seldom allowing Nash to use them to advertise his printing. This is the facsimile volume on its own, lacking Nash's version of the book. Clark's copy of Pope's essay had previously belonged to John Drinkwater.