1827 Rare Philosophical Book - Rasselas; A Tale. With Dinarbas; A Tale
Author: Samuel Johnson. With Dinarbas; A Tale by Ellis Cornelia Knight.
Title: Rasselas; A Tale. Dinarbas; A Tale.
Publisher: London, Printed and Published by J. F. Dove, St. John’s Square, 1827.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 5 x 3 inches.
Pages: 214 pages, plus final leaf of publisher’s advertisements.
Binding: Attractive and very good handsome contemporary full green calf binding richly decorated in gilt and blind. The covers feature an elegant panel design with ornate corner tools, and the spine is divided into compartments with elaborate gilt ornaments and a contrasting red morocco lettering-piece titled Rasselas. Marbled endpapers and marbled edges. (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. Overall a very attractive period binding.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing and toning - as shown, near-contemporary gift inscription on the front flyleaf - as shown).
Illustrations: Complete with engraved frontispiece and an additional engraved title vignette, including illustrations after Henry Corbould, engraved by C. Heath. The plates add a fine visual element to this classic philosophical tale. Complete.
Estimate: (USD $250–300).
The book: First published in 1759, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia is one of Samuel Johnson’s most celebrated philosophical works. Written in a remarkably short period to help pay for his mother’s funeral expenses, the book presents a reflective allegorical journey exploring the nature of happiness, ambition, and the human search for meaning.
The story follows Prince Rasselas, who leaves the sheltered “Happy Valley” of Abyssinia to explore the wider world in search of a fulfilling way of life. Accompanied by companions including the wise Imlac and his sister Nekayah, Rasselas encounters rulers, scholars, hermits, and philosophers, discovering that no single condition of life guarantees happiness.
This edition also includes Dinarbas; A Tale, written by Ellis Cornelia Knight as a literary continuation of Johnson’s work. First published in 1790, Knight’s narrative expands the imaginative universe of Rasselas and enjoyed considerable popularity among readers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Elegantly printed by J. F. Dove as part of his well-regarded English Classics series, this 1827 edition reflects the refined bookmaking of the late Georgian period. The decorative calf binding, engraved illustrations, and early inscription combine to create a particularly appealing example for collectors of classic English literature and finely bound early nineteenth-century books.
The author: Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) was one of the most influential literary figures of eighteenth-century England. A critic, essayist, poet, and lexicographer, he is best known for compiling A Dictionary of the English Language (1755), one of the most significant achievements in English lexicography. Johnson’s writings often explore moral philosophy, human character, and the complexities of everyday life. Rasselas remains among his most enduring works, admired for its clarity, wit, and philosophical depth.
The additional author: Ellis Cornelia Knight (1757–1837) was an English author, traveler, and companion to members of European aristocracy, including Queen Charlotte of Naples. A cultivated intellectual with strong literary interests, Knight wrote travel accounts, historical works, and fiction. Her continuation of Johnson’s narrative, Dinarbas; A Tale, reflects the late eighteenth-century fascination with moral fiction and philosophical storytelling.