7 BAUMAN RARE BOOKS Scarce first edition of Herbert’s great collection of poetry, containing some of the earliest examples of shaped poems in English, such as “Easter Wings” and “The Altar,” handsomely bound in full morocco-gilt by Bedford. From the library of the Marquess of Bute, with his Cardiff Castle bookplate. “A Resourcefulness Of Invention Which Seems Inexhaustible, And For Which I Know No Parallel In English Poetry” (T.S. Eliot): George Herbert’s The Temple— Containing Some Of The Earliest Examples Of Shaped Poetry In English— Very Scarce 1633 First Edition 03HERBERT, George. The Temple. Cambridge, 1633. 12mo, late 19th-century full navy morocco gilt. $33,500 George Herbert is “one of the best English lyric poets” (Summers). In his most famous work, The Temple, there is “a special rhythmic form for every emotion… with this go a balance and unity of thought-content in which few lyric poets have equaled Herbert” (Baugh, 646). “Herbert’s metrical forms… are both original and varied... The Temple shows a resourcefulness of invention which seems inexhaustible, and for which I know no parallel in English poetry” (T.S. Eliot). “Herbert’s English poems are notable for their controlled and inventive use of form: the central section of The Temple, ‘The Church’, contains over 160 lyrics in a striking variety of poetic structures, from sonnets and hymns to hieroglyphic lyrics with stanza forms unique to their composition and subject” (ODNB). Cardiff Castle bookplate of the marquess of Bute, hereditary keeper of Rothesay Castle; the Crichton-Stuart family was responsible for the upkeep and restoration of the castle up until the 1960s. Interior clean, joints expertly repaired. A beautifully bound copy in near-fine condition, with a nice provenance. Scarce and desirable.
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