8vo. [2], 228pp. Original publisher's Canadian ribbed cloth, decorated with blind and gilt-tooling. Some fading to spine, slight rubbing to extremities. Spotting to endpapers.

The first edition of Samuel James Watson's (1842-1881) long poem 'The Legend of the Roses', a tale of a maiden saved by Christ with strong medieval influences, and featuring much philosophical rambling. Paired with 'Ravlan', a melodramatic verse drama set in Celtic England. Watson had previously served as librarian of the Legislative Library of Ontario for nine years and was responsible for increasing its holdings by over tenfold.