The complaint: or, Night-Thoughts on life, death, & immortality. Night the first. Humbly inscrib'd To the Right Honourable arthur onslow, Esq; Speaker of the House of commons.
London.
Printed for R. Dodsley, 1742.
Second edition.
30pp, [2]. With a terminal leaf of publisher's advertisements. ESTC T165387.
[Bound with:] [YOUNG, Edward]. Night the second. On time, death, friendship. Humbly inscrib'd To the Right Honourable The Earl of wilmington. London. Printed for R. Dodsley...and T. Cooper, 1742. First edition. 44pp. With a half-title. ESTC T43089.
[And:] [YOUNG, Edward]. Night the third. Narcissa. Humbly Inscrib'd to her Grace The Dutchess of P------. London. Printed for R. Dodsley...and T. Cooper, 1742. First edition. 34pp. With a half-title. ESTC T20822.
[And:] [YOUNG, Edward]. The complaint: or, Night-Thoughts on life, death, & immortality. London. Printed for R. Dodsley...And sold by M. Cooper, 1743. [2], 47pp, [1]. Title in red and black. Divisional title (B1): 'Night the fourth. The Christian triumph'. Title page and preface also intended to precede Nights 1-4 in 'The complaint', printed for Dodsley and Cooper, 1743, in which it was issued as part 4. ESTC T20824.
[Together with:]
[YOUNG, Edward]. The complaint: or, Night-Thoughts on life, death, & immortality. Night the fifth. London. Printed for R. Dodsley...and sold by M. Cooper, 1744. First edition. 60pp. With an engraved frontispiece. ESTC N1715.
[Bound with:] [YOUNG, Edward]. Night the sixth. The infidel Reclaim'd. In two parts. Containing, The Nature, Proof, and Importance of immortality. Part the first... London. Printed for R. Dodsley, 1744. [2], v, [1], 42pp, [2]. With a half-title and a terminal leaf of publisher's advertisements. ESTC T43091.
[And:] [YOUNG, Edward]. The complaint. Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality. London. Printed for G. Hawkins...And Sold by M. Cooper, 1744. First edition. vii, [1], 72pp. Fly-title (A2): 'Night the seventh. Being the second part of the infidel reclaimed. Containing the nature, proof, and importance of immortality'. ESTC T30990.
[And:] [YOUNG, Edward]. The complaint. Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality. Night the eighth. Virtue's Apology: or, The man of the world Answer'd... London. Printed for G. Hawkins...And Sold by M. Cooper, 1745. First edition. [2], 70pp. ESTC T30991.
Quarto. In two volumes. Uniformly bound in gilt-ruled sprinkled calf, calf lettering-pieces. Rubbed and a trifle marked, joints starting, some surface loss to spine of Vol. II, without Vol. II lettering-piece. Title page of first mentioned work laid-down, short marginal tear to terminal leaf of fifth mentioned work.
[Bound with:] [YOUNG, Edward]. Night the second. On time, death, friendship. Humbly inscrib'd To the Right Honourable The Earl of wilmington. London. Printed for R. Dodsley...and T. Cooper, 1742. First edition. 44pp. With a half-title. ESTC T43089.
[And:] [YOUNG, Edward]. Night the third. Narcissa. Humbly Inscrib'd to her Grace The Dutchess of P------. London. Printed for R. Dodsley...and T. Cooper, 1742. First edition. 34pp. With a half-title. ESTC T20822.
[And:] [YOUNG, Edward]. The complaint: or, Night-Thoughts on life, death, & immortality. London. Printed for R. Dodsley...And sold by M. Cooper, 1743. [2], 47pp, [1]. Title in red and black. Divisional title (B1): 'Night the fourth. The Christian triumph'. Title page and preface also intended to precede Nights 1-4 in 'The complaint', printed for Dodsley and Cooper, 1743, in which it was issued as part 4. ESTC T20824.
[Together with:]
[YOUNG, Edward]. The complaint: or, Night-Thoughts on life, death, & immortality. Night the fifth. London. Printed for R. Dodsley...and sold by M. Cooper, 1744. First edition. 60pp. With an engraved frontispiece. ESTC N1715.
[Bound with:] [YOUNG, Edward]. Night the sixth. The infidel Reclaim'd. In two parts. Containing, The Nature, Proof, and Importance of immortality. Part the first... London. Printed for R. Dodsley, 1744. [2], v, [1], 42pp, [2]. With a half-title and a terminal leaf of publisher's advertisements. ESTC T43091.
[And:] [YOUNG, Edward]. The complaint. Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality. London. Printed for G. Hawkins...And Sold by M. Cooper, 1744. First edition. vii, [1], 72pp. Fly-title (A2): 'Night the seventh. Being the second part of the infidel reclaimed. Containing the nature, proof, and importance of immortality'. ESTC T30990.
[And:] [YOUNG, Edward]. The complaint. Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality. Night the eighth. Virtue's Apology: or, The man of the world Answer'd... London. Printed for G. Hawkins...And Sold by M. Cooper, 1745. First edition. [2], 70pp. ESTC T30991.
Quarto. In two volumes. Uniformly bound in gilt-ruled sprinkled calf, calf lettering-pieces. Rubbed and a trifle marked, joints starting, some surface loss to spine of Vol. II, without Vol. II lettering-piece. Title page of first mentioned work laid-down, short marginal tear to terminal leaf of fifth mentioned work.
Two volumes comprised of eight early editions of Edward Young's (bap.1681, d.1765) Night-Thoughts.
A poem in blank verse, Night-Thoughts sees a quasi-autobiographical protagonist lamenting the loss of his loved ones and musing upon notions of human frailty. As the nine 'nights' progress the speaker turns ever more to theology and Christian apologetics, satirising infidelity and championing the blessings of the Lord and the desire of salvation. Original published separately, each of the Nights achieved immense success, the first five soon requiring multiple editions. Young was given to refining and extending the work, making the rhetoric increasingly dramatic, long after demand began to wane. In excess of 100 collected editions of the Night-Thoughts were published over the subsequent five decades, with translations into a majority of European languages. The work remained influential well into the 1800s, being studied by Coleridge and Wordsworth, and inspiring a series of illustrations by Blake.
£ 750.00
Antiquates Ref: 25250
A poem in blank verse, Night-Thoughts sees a quasi-autobiographical protagonist lamenting the loss of his loved ones and musing upon notions of human frailty. As the nine 'nights' progress the speaker turns ever more to theology and Christian apologetics, satirising infidelity and championing the blessings of the Lord and the desire of salvation. Original published separately, each of the Nights achieved immense success, the first five soon requiring multiple editions. Young was given to refining and extending the work, making the rhetoric increasingly dramatic, long after demand began to wane. In excess of 100 collected editions of the Night-Thoughts were published over the subsequent five decades, with translations into a majority of European languages. The work remained influential well into the 1800s, being studied by Coleridge and Wordsworth, and inspiring a series of illustrations by Blake.
