The Scholar-Gipsy

Unpaginated, 20 plates (10 tipped-in in colour, 10 monochrome). Brown cloth-covered boards; gilt titles on green and gilt front and spine labels; illustrative endpapers. 4to. Lightly rubbed spine ends; cloth fraying. Top text block edge dusty, remaining edges tanned and starting to fox. Internally neat, clean, bright and tight barring some occasional foxing. Attractive illustrated edition of this famous pastoral poem.

First published in 1853, The Scholar-Gypsy is one of Matthew Arnold’s best know poems: based on 17th century legend, it tells the tale of a poor Oxford scholar who joins a band of travellers and learns their traditional lores and ways, resolving not to return to mainstream ways until he knows how to share the secrets her has learnt.