"AFTER SHAKESPEARE AND CHAUCER, JOHN MILTON IS THE MOST EMINENT POET IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE": 1673 EDITION OF MILTON'S POEMS, ISSUED ONLY ONE YEAR BEFORE HIS DEATH, WITH FIRST PRINTING OF HIS SONNET ON BLINDNESS—THE HOUGHTON COPY

MILTON, John. Poems, &c. Upon Several Occasions. Both English and Latin, &c. Composed at Several Times. With a Small Tractate of Education to Mr. Hartlib. London: Printed for Tho. Dring at the White Lion, 1673. Small octavo (4-1/2 by 6-1/2 inches), early 20th-century full red morocco, elaborately gilt-decorated spine, raised bands, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt.

First expanded edition of Milton's Poems, initially printed in 1645, this second edition published only one year before his death and "doubtless authorized by Milton," with over 40 poems "printed here for the first time," including the first printing of Sonnet XVI, the first sonnet to refer to Milton's blindness, especially memorable for its oft-quoted final line—"They also serve who only stand and waite"—beautifully bound in full morocco-gilt by Pratt. From the renowned collection of Arthur A. Houghton.

"After Shakespeare and Chaucer, John Milton is the most eminent poet in the English language… No other great poet, not even Dante, began with so clear and systematic an intention to devote himself entirely to poetry" (Bloom, John Milton, 1). This edition of Milton's poetry, published only one year before his death and "doubtless authorized by Milton," is the first expanded edition of the earlier collection titled Poems of Mr. John Milton (1645). Containing all the works therein, including L'Allegro, Il Penseroso and Of Education, this scarce volume also includes "a number of poems here printed for the first time… 'On the Death of a fair Infant,' ten sonnets, number X to XIX inclusive, 'The 5th Ode to Horace,' 'At a Vacation Exercise in the Colledge,' 'On the new forcers of Conscience under the Long Parliament' and 17 Psalms, numbered 1-8 and 80-88 inclusive (in Latin and Greek), 'Apologus de Rustico & Hero,' 'In Effigiei Ejus Sculptorem' and 'Ad Joannem Rousum Oxoniensis Academiae Bibliothecarium" (Wither to Prior 573). This edition especially features the first printing of Sonnet XVI, the first published sonnet to refer to Milton's blindness and especially memorable for its final line—"They also serve who only stand and waite." With Pforzheimer's first state title page containing "White Lion" in its imprint; publisher Dring later moved to the "Blew Anchor," as appears on the second state title page. Bound with publisher's Catalogue at rear (Wither to Prior 573). With separate title page in Latin and separate pagination of Londinensis Poemata, first published separately in 1645. Text in English and Latin. Wing 2161A. Pforzheimer 724. ESTC R42174. Lowndes, 1563. See Pforzheimer 722; Wing 2159-2161; ESTC R202162. Bookplates, including the morocco bookplate of Arthur A. Houghton, as well as those of George Goyder and G. Walter Steeves. Houghton was the son of Amory Houghton Jr., president of Corning Glass, and served as that company's director, as well as the chief executive of Steuben Glassworks, a subsidiary of Corning. "Houghton was the curator of rare books at the Library of Congress from 1940 to 1942. He had accepted this position because he was an avid collector of original manuscripts and letters of writers such as Samuel Pepys, John Keats, Robert Browning, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. He donated his Keats collection to Harvard University, and he endowed the Houghton Library at Harvard in 1942 as the repository for the university's collection of rare books and manuscripts" (ANB).

Repairs to outer margins of A5 and B7, text quite clean. A beautiful volume in very nearly fine condition.