The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, With His Life, Alnwick 1808 edition

William Davison’s press in the Northumberland market town of Alnwick specialised in well-produced but affordable editions. Issuing Burns so early – only twelve years after the poet’s death – shows how quickly his work had become a fixture of popular reading beyond the great London and Edinburgh houses.

Apart from the landmark Kilmarnock (1786), Edinburgh (1787) and London (1787–88) printings, most late-Georgian readers met Burns in small-format, two-volume sets like this one. The 1808 Alnwick is among the first English provincial editions to combine a full text with a biographical sketch.

The volumes include wood-engraved illustrations produced by Thomas Bewick, based on designs by John Thurston. Bewick, widely regarded as one of the leading English wood-engravers of his time.

The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, With His Life.

Published by W. Davison, Alnwick, 1808.

Overall a near fine set - professionally rebacked retaining original polished tree calf boards with gilt borders, and later brown leather spine with gilt tooled decoration. Soundly bound. Boards with some wear and scuffing. With marbled endpapers, with red wax seal residue, and modern owner's label to first pastedowns.

Volume I is missing the frontispiece, tissue guard, and vignette title page. these are present only in the second volume. Text is bright and clean throughout with some aged usage marks. A handsome set of a scarce edition.

Language: English/Scots.

Vol I: XLII + 43-297pp + 26pp Glossary + (1) Publisher's advertisement; 

Vol II: xii including frontispiece, tissue guard and vignette title page +(1) + 13-320pp. 

Dimensions: each volume approximately 165mm high x 104mm wide x 26mm deep.

Unpacked weight approximately 604g (the set - unpacked).