May Day with the Muses

London: Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1822. First edition. Leather. Very Good. 6.5" by 4". None. A first edition of Bloomfield's poem, 'May Day with the Muses'. Bloomfield was a celebrated poet in his time, known for being a working class, self-educated writer. Celebrated in the context of similar writers such as Stephen Duck, Mary Collier, and John Clare, Bloomfield rose through the ranks of English writers ater making his name with a poem, 'The Farmer's Boy' With 7 vignettes. Direct from the Regency library of Elizabeth Greenly, later Lady Elizabeth Coffin Greenly. Elizabeth Greenly, born at Titley Court, Herefordshire, was a noted and varied collector. She kept prolific diaries from 1784 until her death in 1839 which included her responses to current events and occasions in her daily life. Among the diaries many names and anecdotes of celebrities of the time appear, including Lord Byron, Marie Antoinette, Mary Wollstonecraft and Hannah More. She was known to comment on customs of foreign countries to which she and her friends had travelled, and had a keen interest in scientific discoveries and advancements including medicine and archaeology. The Greenly library contents show Elizabeth Greenly's numerous interests including: Welsh causes, Science, topography, travel, Bibliana and literature, particularly female poets. The library contains many first editions of contemporary works, and many are signed or contain her bookplate. The library contained over 1000 volumes which show the diversity and depth of her interests and give an insight into the life of this fascinating collector. These works come directly from the library of the Titley Court estate. In a straight grain morocco binding. Externally sound with some rubbing. Joints starting but still reasonably firm. Internally generally firmly bound. Pages bright and clean. Very Good