Edward. Various views of human nature, taken from life and manners, chiefly in England.
London: A. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1796. Two volumes. 8vo. [iv], 519; [iv], 596 pp., FIRST EDITION. including half-titles, plus errata and 3 pages publisher’s advertisements at the end of Volume II. Contemporary tree calf, gilt decorations, morocco spine labels, marbled end-papers; an excellent copy from the library of Joseph Radcliffe, with his armorial bookplates. Item #11739
First edition of the author’s second novel. Moore (1729-1802) studied at the University of Glasgow, then apprenticed himself to John Gordon, a surgeon who had trained Moore’s friend and distant cousin, Tobias Smollett. His medical reputation lead to a connection with the family of the Duke of Hamilton, whose son spent five years with Moore on a grand tour of Europe. Moore’s first book, A View of Society and Manners in France, Switzerland, and Germany, was published anonymously in 1779, and established his literary reputation. The character of Moore’s first novel Zeluco, the tale of a villain who spreads misery and desolation, is the opposite extreme of the character of this, Moore’s second novel. Joseph Radcliffe (d. 1813), lord of Milnsbridge House, Yorkshire, was created a baronet for his duties as a local and county magistrate in the Luddite Trials.
Price: $350.00