From the Books of Laurence Hutton (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1892. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VI ON POETICAL INSCRIPTIONS UITE as interesting as " Poetical Dedications," and much more valuable, because more rare, are those occasional autograph inscriptions in verse to be found on the flyleaves of certain printed books, but not originally intended to be printed themselves. They may be divided into three classes: first, those written by the author in the special copy of his own book which he has presented to his friend; second, those written by the recipient in the volume which his friend the author has presented to him; and third, those written in the books of men who are known neither to donor nor to recipient. They are fuller than marginal notes, and they are more personal and more spontaneous than dedications; they render the tomes in which they are contained absolutely unique, and sometimes they make a volume as precious to the collector of autographs as to the lover of books. A copy of "Venus and Adonis," for instance, in which Shakspere had written with his own hand, "Don't Steele this Booke, my little Frend, For feare the Gallowes will be your end"--if it existed--would be worth a mountain of First Folios of the Plays. There were only twenty-seven leaves in the little quarto volume in question, as first published in 1593, so the author could not have completed the inscription, "If you don't beleeve this Book is mine, Just turn to Page number ninety nine." but as literature and as poetry the familiar quatrain is certainly as worthy of the author of " Venus and Adonis " as are the famous four lines carved upon the stone which is said to cover the dust and the bones enclosed in front of the altar of Holy Trinity Church at Stratford-on-Avon. The Ancients, as The Tatler called them, were much given to writing sonnets to each other; but th...