FIRST AND SECOND SERIES OF HOOD’S OWN, HANDSOMELY BOUND

HOOD, Thomas. Hood’s Own. First and Second Series. London: Edward Moxon, 1859, 1861. Two volumes. Octavo, early 20th-century three-quarter black morocco, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, raised bands, marbled boards and endpapers, top edges gilt, uncut. $750.

Early edition of the First Series and first edition of the Second Series of these comic writings compiled from Hood’s Comic Annual, handsomely bound.

A poet and the brother-in-law of John Reynold, Thomas Hood became known to the British literary scene while working as an editor at London Magazine. While there, he contributed a number of poems and also had the opportunity to meet several of the magazines most important contributors from De Quincey to Lamb. In 1830, some years after the magazine folded, Thomas Hood began publishing his Comic Annual, which was received quite favorably. In it, Hood dealt with contemporary events using both caricature and nearly obsessive wordplay, particularly puns. Hood distinguished himself by his relatively low level of malice and good humor. The British public’s enduring fondness for The Comic Annual led to the publication of these two anthologies, which included all the best of the serial. The First Series was first published in parts in 1839; the first book edition was published in 1846. This is the first edition of the Second Series. Book descriptions tipped onto flyleaves.

A fine copy.