SMOLLETT, Tobias.—Plays and Poems written by T. Smollett, M. D. with Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the Author. London: printed for T. Evans . . . and R. Baldwin . . . MDCCLXXVII. Post 8vo, original boards, uncut edges.
First edition. Vignette portrait on the title-page, by S. Ravenet after Sir Joshua Reynolds.
The arrangement of preliminary leaves in this volume is so unusual as to give the impression on a first examination that c1 is missing. But as the copy in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, is similar to this, except for the transposition of the half-title of "The Regicide," which there precedes the Preface instead of the play itself, as in the present copy, the supposition is that no leaves are lacking.
As the present copy is in the original boards, the arrangement of signatures is easily discernible. For the preliminary leaves it is as follows: Half-title and title, one unnumbered sheet; a, eight leaves; b, eight leaves; c, six leaves, the first four lettered c2, c3, c4, and 2 (according to the actual folding of the sheet, there is no c1, the first page being misprinted c2); two leaves, with no signatures, pasted together, viz.: the end of the Preface (verso "Persons of the Drama") and the half-title of "The Regicide" (verso blank); B, six leaves, the first three lettered B2, B3, and B4; one leaf pasted to B and numbered 4. Signatures C-S are in eights.
The pagination of the preliminary leaves is as follows: Half-title and title unnumbered, i-xxix (viii misprinted iii), four unnumbered pages, and xxxvi-xlvii, the verso of which is unnumbered. The omitted numbers between xxix and xxxvi indicate a missing leaf, but even though the half-title of "The Regicide" were to fill the place, as in the copy in the Advocates' Library, making the Preface to the whole book follow the half-title of one of the works, which is an unnatural arrangement, there would still be a missing leaf, as the first page of text of "The Regicide" is numbered 3.
The simplest explanation of the discrepancy is to suppose a printer's error in the pagination of the preliminary matter; i.e., xxxvi should be xxxiv.
There is no copy of this edition in the British Museum or the Bodleian Library, nor in the University or Trinity College Libraries, Cambridge, and the copy in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, bound in full calf, lacks the preliminary half-title.
With this record of signatures, the following collation gives the lettering of the leaves as actually printed.
Collation: Half-title, one leaf (verso blank). Title with portrait, one leaf (verso blank). Life, a1-a8 and b1-b7 (verso blank). Contents, b8. Preface, c2-c8 (verso "Persons of the Drama"). Half-title of "The Regicide," one leaf, which might be counted as c8, to complete the signature c, or as B1, to precede B2. "The Regicide," B2-I5, in eights. Half-title of "The Reprisal," I6 (verso "Persons repreſented"). Prologue, I7. Text, I8-O5 (verso blank), ending with the Epilogue. Half-title, "Advice, and Reproof: two Satires. First published in the Year 1746 and 1747," O6 (verso blank). "Advice," O7-P6. Half-title of "Reproof," P7 (verso blank). Text, P8-Q6. "The Tears of Scotland," 1746, Q7-Q8. Poems, R1-R4 recto. Odes, R4 verso-S5 recto. "Observations On Dr. Smollett's Ode to Independence," S5 verso-S8. Pages 1-272.
SMOLLETT, Tobias.—The Works of Tobias Smollett, M. D. with Memoirs of his Life; to which is prefixed a View of the Commencement and Progress of Romance, by John Moore, M. D. London: Printed for B. Law &c. . . . 1797. 8vo, eight volumes, sprinkled calf, gilt back, citron edges, by Bedford.