[KEENE, Marian].
The History of a tame Robin. Supposed to be written by Himself.
London: Printed for Darton, Harvey, and Darton … 1817.
12mo, pp. [2], 153, [1], with an engraved frontispiece, neatly coloured by a contemporary hand; slightly dusty, some light foxing, but a good copy in the publisher’s original quarter red roan and marbled boards; boards and spine somewhat rubbed.
First and only edition. The tame Robin recalls a life of adventure enriched by human and avian friendships. A childhood spent in a school-room helped him attain ‘a sufficient knowledge of literature to relate my adventures’. His life, though happy, is not without its vicissitudes: he loses a close friend, Goldey the goldfinch, to a bird of prey and spends a disconcerting time in the ownership of a spoilt child who starves sparrows to death.
This is the only known work by Marian Keene.
Darton G533.
You may also be interested in...
MARINI, Giovanni Ambrogio.
The Desperadoes; an heroick History. Translated from the Italian of the celebrated Marini (the Original having passed ten Editions.) Containing a Series of the most surprizing Adventures of the Princes Formidaur and Florian … In four Books. Embellish’d with eight excellent Copper-Plates.
First and only edition in English of Le gare de’ disperati (1644), the second of three romances by Marini (1596-1668). Inevitably, ‘It was necessary to omit many Things that were contrary to our Morals; to Decency, and to the Purity of the English Tongue …’. But the general scheme of events is the same as the original, and is outlined on the title-page: ‘A Series of the most surprizing Adventures of the Princes Formidaur and Florian; the former being in love with Zelinda, whom he takes to be his own Sister; and the latter having married Fidalme, who he supposes to be his father’s Daughter by a second Wife, and afterwards kills in Disguise in single Combat. With a Relation of the various amazing Accidents, and Misfortunes, which happen thereon, until the Whole concludes with making them all happy, by a most extraordinary and uncommon Revolution.’
GANF, Iulii Abramovich, and P. PISKUNOV, editor.
Да здравствует конституция страны социализма! [Long live the constitution of the Socialist nation!]
Typically Soviet poster illustrated by graphic artist Iuli Ganf, whose satirical work was published in magazines and newspapers such as Krokodil.