LAMB, Charles. Elia. Essays Which Have Appeared Under That Signature In The London Magazine. (1823 - FIRST EDITION SECOND ISSUE UNCUT IN THE ORIGINAL BOARDS)

AUTHOR: LAMB, Charles. 

TITLE: Elia. Essays Which Have Appeared Under That Signature In The London Magazine.

PUBLISHER: London: for Taylor and Hessey, 1823.

DESCRIPTION: FIRST EDITION SECOND ISSUE UNCUT IN THE ORIGINAL BOARDS. 1 vol., 7-13/16" x 5", with "13, Waterloo Place" on title-page, with the half-title and 6pp. of ads, bound in the original blue boards, uncut, with the original white paper spine and the original printed paper spine label priced “9s. 6d.”.

CONDITION: Internally generally clean and bright, covers neatly rehinged, inner hinges strengthened, head and foot of spine rubbed with some loss.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: These essays first appeared in the London Magazine from 1820-23 and are largely autobiographical. They deal with mankind at large as seen through the medium of Lamb's own experiences and impressions. They are presented, with exquisite humor and pathos, and in a brilliant and inimitable style. Though he was much loved for his sweetness and humor, Lamb's life was marked by frustration and tragedy. A stammer kept him from qualifying for a university position, so he went to work as a clerk for the East India Co., where he remained until 1825. There was a strain of insanity in the family, and Mary Lamb, in a fit of madness, killed their mother. Lamb, who had himself spent time in a madhouse and who suffered from alcoholism, took life long care of his sister.