The Poets and the Poetry of the Century

London: Hutchinson & Co., [1891-1897], 1891. First edition, limited issue, number 45 of 110 numbered copies. Cited numerous times in NCBEL III under the individual poets. Some slight wear, soiling and small cracks and wrinkles in the vellum; in very good condition.. 10 vols, small 8vo, original white parchment, gilt lettering, t.e.g., others untrimmed. An exemplary poetical anthology, covering the whole of 19th century English poetry, more or less chronologically, from Crabbe, William Blake and the Romantics to Meynell, Le Gallienne, Bridges, Yeats and the poets of the 1890s. It is, as Miles states in the preface, an "Encyclopedia of Modern Poetry." Each entry is preceded by a brief biographical sketch of the author, many of which were written by contributors other than the compiler, viz: Richard Garnett, J.A. Symonds, Cosmo Monkhouse, Alexander Japp, Arthur Symons, Yeats, Le Gallienne, Buxton Forman, Robert Bridges, et al. Among the many notable entries is Gerard Manley Hopkins' first appearance in a book (volume eight). The volumes are arranged roughly by period as dominated by notable poets, e.g.: George Crabbe to S. T. Coleridge; Robert Southey to Percy Bysshe Shelley; William Morris to Robert Buchanan; Robert Bridges and Contemporary Poets; one volume is dedicated to Humor, Society, Parody and Occasional Verse; and there is a volume dedicated to women poets: Joanna Baillie to Mathilde Blind. Sets of the first edition of Miles' anthology are uncommon; this limited issue is very scarce.