Verner, Hood, et al
The Farmer's Boy (with double fore-edge painting)
London: Verner, Hood, and Sharpe Poultry; and Longman, Hust, Rees and Orme, Paternoster-Row, 1808. 99 pp. + notes and advertisements. Approximately 4 x 6 1/4"; Straight-grain red morocco, 5 raised bands, gilt borders and spine, all edges gilt, tenth edition (stated), slightly corner bumped, otherwise in near fine condition.
Robert Bloomfield (1766 - 1823), was an English self-educated poet. He was born into a poor family and died in debt, although he had some success with The Farmer's Boy, his best known work. Written in iambic pentameter couplets, The Farmer's Boy describes rural life through the seasons, often showing that it is harsh work, although the tone is still cheerful. The double fore-edge paintings are by an unknown artist and show a fox-hunting scene on one side and the scene of an angler in a small boat on the other, nicely but not elaborately done.