University of Virginia Library

The 'Private Issues' of The Deserted Village
by
William B. Todd

Of the many romances which have been featured in the tabloids of the bibliophiles, perhaps the most enchanting is the tale of the "private" or—as otherwise described—the "trial" issues of Goldsmith's Deserted Village. One, or some, or all of these little duodecimos were especially printed before the first quarto, we are informed, either at the instance of Bishop Percy for presentation to the Countess of Northumberland or, according to the other hypothesis, at the request of a finicky author who wished to obtain several proofs for the purpose of tinkering with the punctuation.

For evidence as to the priority of these "issues," reference is usually made to a copy discovered in 1896, which presumes to be, according to a MS inscription on its title-page, "the first privately printed edition before the 4to. of May, 1770."[1] Whether this notation is attributable to an exacting scholar of the last century, or a wishful book collector, or a zealous auctioneer, no one knows. Yet it is generally accepted, and upon this inadmissable hearsay the first elaboration, concerning the gift to the Countess, then follows on the authority of a person who, at the time he offered his conjecture, had never seen a copy,[2] and the second, concerning the necessity for proofs, on the testimony of a critic who later retracted all that he had said.[3] Though these and other considerations have led a few scholars to deny both stories, their protests have not availed against the extravagant claims of Goldsmith's bibliographers or the raucous cries

of the booksellers.[4] Nonetheless, as we shall see, the reasoned opinion of the few can be completely vindicated.

Even if there were no retractions and no evidence to the contrary, both theories are incredible and readily disproved. Against the first, or "private issue" version is the fact that whereas Percy, in his recollection of an event thirty years in the past, listed the date of original issue as 1769,[5] all of the early "London" editions, duodecimo and quarto, are dated 1770.

Moreover, as the various title pages attest, all were printed, not for the Bishop, nor the Countess, nor the author, but purportedly "for W. Griffin," a publisher who had no connection with any of Percy's enterprises, public or private. Against the second, or "trial issue" version is the certainty that, whatever the order of editions, none of the alterations are substantial, none would concern the author, and none would necessitate such an extraordinary procedure as that involved in the composition of a series of proofs, each in a different setting of type, many in a considerable quantity, and all in a format unlike that of the published edition.

If either of these false suppositions is accepted on the basis of what has been adduced, the way is open for the admission of any and all comers. Thus two undated editions "Printed for the Booksellers in Town and Country" can also be awarded precedence over the first quarto on the warrant of testimony quite similar to that previously mentioned, viz. (1) an inscription in a copy now at the University of Chicago reading "May 6. 1770"—twenty days before the publication of the quarto—and (2) in apparent confirmation, a note in a bookseller's catalogue that copies with this imprint represent "the excessively rare pirated edition made instantly on the success of the first [i.e., "private"] issue of the poem."[6] Here, as for the duodecimos, the ascription would seem to be indisputable. But again, as before, the witnesses are unreliable and easily refuted, in this instance, by a contemporary reference to the issuance of one of the "Booksellers" editions actually in 1784, fourteen years after the date alleged.[7]

With this date established, notwithstanding several "authorities," the priority of all editions in duodecimo format can be impugned; for all have the shoddy appearance of the many chapbooks produced at the time, all are closely related to the "Booksellers" variants, all include textual matter in the initial gathering (the usual sign of a later reprinting), and all were issued—as I shall endeavor to show—under circumstances quite different from those generally assigned.

I. The Number and Order of Editions

Besides the four "1770" editions posing as "private" or "trial issues," we may now identify at least twenty-two other separate editions of the poem.[8] All twenty-six were apparently printed within the copyright period

(ranging, in this instance, from 1770 to 1784) or immediately upon its expiration; but only eleven represent an authoritative sequence repeatedly revised in the earlier editions and regularly published, first by William Griffin, then by his authorized successors, Rivington, Carnan, and Cadell. These legitimate editions will be designated hereafter by their size, either as Q (editions 1-10) or 8vo (edition 11). The other fifteen, representing with one exception unrevised texts deriving ultimately from Q1 and issued without authorization under various imprints, real and assumed, are identified by the letters assigned below. (A complete description of these is given in Section III.)

                                 

				Page 9,
Ed.	Date	Publisher	Title-page points	line I	Scott
A	1770	'W. Griffin'	Dr. Oxford rule	hand	C
B	'1770'	"	Dr Oxford rule	hand	B
C	'1770'	"	Dr Double rule	head	A
D	'1770'	"	Dr French rule	head
E	1777	"	Ornamental rule
F	1775	"	'Fourth Edition'
G	[1783]	no title page
H	[1783]	Booksellers	French rule
I	[1784]	Booksellers	Ornamental rule
J	[1784]	J. Barker
K	[1784]	T. Martin
L	1770	J. Exshaw, &c.
M	1770	H. Saunders, &c.
N	1775	none listed
O	1773	G. Richter

Apart from the separate editions, legitimate and illegitimate, the textual collation offered in Section II implicates five or six collected editions. These are intermediate texts, transmitting readings from one separate printing to another, and therefore constitute a third group here distinguished by the dates on their title pages.[9]

             

Date	Publisher	Title
11775	?(Belfast)	Poems by the Late Dr. Oliver Goldsmith
21775	'W. Griffin'	Miscellaneous Works
1778	"	" "
1782	W. Osborne and T. Griffin	" "
[1783]	edition not extant
1784	W. Osborne and T. Griffin	" "

Altogether, then, we are concerned with thirty-two editions, differentiated by size, letter, or date, and now demonstrated to have a certain interrelation indicated by the following stemma:

This graphic account should effectively dispose of the various figments of the legend, including the assumption that each succeeding imprint was an improvement over the one before, the inference that C was therefore the first of a series advancing through B and A toward Q1, and the wild surmise that C, as the original "private issue," was presented to the Countess of Northumberland late in 1769. On the contrary, it is now apparent that, as always with reprints, each is a further corruption of the one before, that each moves not up toward Q1 but down toward E, an edition honestly dated 1777, and—if some personality is required to displace the Countess—that it is James Boswell Esq. who is found with a copy of C, not in the winter of 1769 but in the spring of 1783. To verify this fact all the mythologists need do is to turn from the Goldsmith bibliographies to the adjoining section on Samuel Johnson and there, in the second volume of the R. B. Adam Library, examine a facsimile of a page from this edition with Boswell's comment and date.[9a] Here, as opposed to an anonymous note discovered over a hundred years after the event, is

reliable testimony of the time by a person known for his attention to details.

Thus reassured, we may now consider the evident realities. From A to J in one sequence, from K to O in others, and doubtless for still others which have thus far escaped identification,[10] all of the separate editions represent a series of degraded texts cheaply produced at various times and places with the obvious intention of cutting in on the profits due the author and his publisher. To protect their interests, the owners of the poem relied upon their copyright; but as this was severely limited, extending in time only fourteen years from the original date of publication and in place only to England and Scotland, it hardly served to deter the more enterprising printers of the day. Anyone with a business in Ireland or on the continent, two areas beyond the reach of the law, might therefore openly identify himself in the imprint of his issue or, if he had a reputation to maintain, allow the issue to circulate anonymously. Hence all we need to know of such editions as L, M, and O is candidly admitted on the title page, and all we might want to know of the anonymous N is soon disclosed by the imprint of its copytext and its own watermark, both of which read BELFAST.

With other early editions, however, the attempt at concealment is far more successful, for more than reputation is involved. Quite naturally, to avoid the penalty of the law, various subterfuges were employed, all of which must now come under examination.

One distinctive feature common to many of these editions is the fictitious "Printed for W. Griffin," an imprint used to such good effect, apparently, that the publisher was never able to discover who had appropriated his name and, with it, much of his income. Yet as Griffin might have declared, and as we now perceive, none of these editions bears any resemblance to the various works which he had printed and published. Contrary to the practice in his shop, all appear without press figures, habitually use founts other than Caslon, elide the final 'e' in past participles, hyphenate compounds, modernize the spelling, ignore the revisions which appear in his later quartos, arbitrarily shift one paragraph division and create another.[11] Moreover, among the earlier editions, A—D

are in 12° half-sheets, an unusual imposition for any London publication of this time; A—E persistently convert "woe" to "wo," a variant spelling not used by Griffin's compositors;[12] D—E separate the date in the imprint with commas, a practice common to provincial issues but not observed in Griffin's books; and E alone ingenuously uses the date 1777, two years after Griffin's death.[13] Of itself, this latter circumstance suggests that some of these editions were far removed from the scene described in their imprints.

To all this must be added still another peculiarity. Though the five duodecimos are much alike, superficially, and so designed to pass under a common disguise, each is slightly different in size, type, and ornamentation. It is quite probable, therefore, that these are not only far removed from Griffin's shop, but removed in five different directions.

Aside from the duodecimos one other separate edition is known with

Griffin's address. This is F, a 1775 octavo in half-sheets, with a title page reading "By Oliver Goldsmith, M.B." and imprinted "Catherine-Street, in the Strand." Both in the use of the author's medical degree and in the spelling of "Catharine" with an 'e', this issue differs from all "Griffin" books except the Miscellaneous Works and the Select Poems, two collections of similar imposition and date. As may be demonstrated for F, and safely assumed for the Poems,[14] both owe these similarities to the fact that they are separate reimpressions or "offprints" from the collected Works. All three, then, betray some of the idiosyncrasies derived from copytext A, share among themselves a peculiar ascription and imprint not used by Griffin, and suspiciously appear as a group in the very year of Griffin's death. But again, as with the separate edition E, a deception once engaged in is practiced too often: In 1778, long after Griffin had ceased to care about the raids on his literary property, another edition of the Works was produced with his name in the imprint.

So far, our survey of the 'Griffin' imprints A—F allows several conclusions: (1) that all six are textually related, (2) that some are deliberate imitations, one of another, (3) that each, nonetheless, is sufficiently distinct to suggest its origin in a different shop, and (4) that none, despite the pretensions of all, is an issue from "Garrick's Head, in Catharine-street, Strand." Furthermore, by exhibiting characteristics uncommon to London publications of the time and repeating information which had long since

become invalid, it would seem that certain of these editions appeared at some distance from the Strand. Precisely where or when, however, are questions which, with the exception of one edition, may never be determined.

The evidence for the one edition, the critical one in the sequence, comes providentially from the reviews. According to their usual practice, the London journals cite immediately from the original quarto edition.[15] Many of those issued in provincial towns, on the other hand, reproduce any available text, usually that offered in some other magazine. Thus in its account of the "Deserted Village" the Newcastle Literary Register quotes first from the Critical Review, then from the Monthly Review.[16] Another provincial journal, the Weekly Magazine, or Edinburgh Amusement, also offers mixed citations; and in this mixture we find the clue we seek. Three weeks after the publication of the quarto the Magazine, in two successive issues dated June 14 and 21, reprints the first 194 lines. Then, after another delay of four weeks, the citation continues, in the July 19 issue, through line 252. Apparently, as collation indicates, the earlier printing was derived from the 194 lines quoted in the London Chronicle of May 26-29, the later, from another text which had become available in the meantime. That text, undoubtedly, is the one described as A.

The implications of this discovery are obvious. If Walter Ruddiman, the printer and publisher of the Edinburgh Magazine, is not the principal agent in the manufacture of the first of these piracies, as we must now call them all, he is certainly an accessory after the fact. Though slight and scattered, the evidence is nevertheless incriminating. Here, in this man's shop, seven weeks after the issuance of the quarto and 395 miles distant from London, we find a copy of the duodecimo printing. Here too we encounter a person already in contempt of the laws relating to the stamp tax[17] and therefore quite ready, we may suppose, to evade any others pertaining to copyright. And here again we observe, in abundance, the several features which distinguish many of these editions from Griffin's publications, notably the elided 'e' in participles, the interspersed commas in imprint dates, and the occasional production of books in duodecimo half-sheets.[18]

Even more damning is the fact that the title page of the A reprint and Ruddiman's work is composed of the peculiar bold face letter manufactured by John Baine, a type-founder then residing in Edinburgh.[19] Before us, then, is a disreputable printer of known habits, using material similar to that found in the book, and discovered with a copy in his possession. Unless he can escape by placing the blame on some close neighbor, Walter Ruddiman of Forester's Wynd, Lawn-market, Edinburgh, should therefore be charged with pirating a copy of the "Deserted Village" on or about July 15, 1770.

Once the A reprint appeared it served, not only as the copytext for Ruddiman's Magazine, but also for many of the other piracies now identified. By a kind of Gresham's law, these inferior texts, selling perhaps at sixpence a copy, and multiplying in various little shops around the countryside, must have had an enormous sale among those who could not afford two shillings for the authorized editions. The opportunity for a quick return undoubtedly attracted many unscrupulous vendors, among whom might be named Francis Robertson of Edinburgh, a notorious expert in duplications of the kind represented by B, C, and D, and Alexander Donaldson, of Edinburgh and London, a specialist in cheap reprints of work not specifically covered by copyright.[20]

Donaldson's role in these depredations is perhaps not beyond conjecture. By a strange turn of events which could hardly have gone unnoticed by this publisher and others of his ilk, much of Goldsmith's property lay for awhile, if not in the public domain, at least near enough so that it could be snatched at very little risk. In 1773 the Court of Session, upon Donaldson's appeal, rendered its historic verdict against the common law interpretation of copyright; in 1774, the year of Goldsmith's death, the House of Lords sustained the ruling; and in 1775 fate again intervened to remove the publisher. All rights held by Griffin were therefore suspended from 1775 until such time as they were reinstated by his successors; and for the "Deserted Village" this was not until 1779, the date

of the ninth Quarto. Yet, as suspension did not amount to revocation, it was still convenient to hide behind the name of the original publisher. Under Griffin's imprint, then, the work continued, possibly by Donaldson for the 1775 issues, separate (F) and collected, probably by a more distant and less well informed printer for those dated 1777 (E) and 1778.

Thereafter, when it was finally realized that Griffin had died long before, and that his copyright was now enforced by others, the long-practiced scheme of falsification was abandoned in favor of simple anonymity. This took two forms, either as issue completely without imprint (G), or as issue "Printed for the Booksellers in Town and Country" (H, I). Of G all that may be surmised is that it derives, probably as an offprint, from an unknown collected edition intervening between others dated 1782 and 1784.[21] The known edition of 1782 is a 12° in half-sheets in which the text of the "Village" extends from R6r to S4r; the one of 1784 a full 12° with text from 12r to I10r; the separate printing G, of a setting different from both, but of format like the earlier, and with a vestigial signature 'S3' which points to some collection based upon the earlier text.

For the other two surreptitious editions, H and I, the evidence is external and more outspoken. Apparently these were issued just before the copyright expired, when it was still inexpedient for the "Booksellers" to reveal themselves; and again with these, as with A—D, we witness the effort of one pirate to duplicate the work of another. That effort did not go unnoticed by the authorized publishers, who inserted in the 11th edition of 1784, the year which terminated their copyright, a notice designed to maintain their privilege.

The cut for the 11th edition is not that of "The sad historian of the pensive plain," a vignette much too large for an octavo, but a bust of the author prepared originally for the first edition of Retaliation printed for George Kearsly, and still inscribed "Published as the Act directs 18th April 1774," though now employed for an occasion some ten years later.

By 1784 evidently, if not long before, the provincial issues were encroaching upon the London market; and by then it was too late to stop them, for with the end of restrictions any publisher could safely venture into the open. Among the first to do so, it would seem, was James Barker, a former apprentice of Griffin's, and now a prolific purveyor of chapbooks. Like Carnan, Barker felt called upon, but for much less reason, to advance the merits of his own printing against the others then on sale, and accordingly warned the readers of his issue: "N.B. The Public are respectfully desired to be careful not to have an inferior Edition imposed on them, instead of that printed by J. Barker." The only thing that distinguishes this issue (J) is its appearance, which is superior to that of all preceding reprints. Barker even outdid his legitimate competitors by having the original quarto vignette reversed, reduced, and re-engraved to fit the size of his version. Unfortunately, however, he did not consult the quarto for his readings, but was content to print from one of the latest and least reliable (D) of the provincial editions.

Another who crept into public view about this time was T. Martin, a tradesman who describes his proper occupation as a "Letter-Case Maker" and his place of business at "No. 11, Club Row, Bethnal Green." Of this let me say, for the benefit of those who may henceforth label it as a "private issue," that it is the only London edition immediately related to the first quarto, one containing an appreciable number of "early readings" definitely "improved" in the quarto, appearing in smaller size but of the same format as the quarto, quite exempt from any incriminating dates or reviews, and known only by a single copy. Thus, ironically enough, where the earlier reprints fail to meet a single qualification of the many which might be advanced for a "private issue," the latest scores on every count. Yet this too is beneath contempt.

With this last printing we have traced the fragmentary history of fifteen separate editions of the "Deserted Village," each remarkably debased in appearance, association, and text. All are mongrels, occasionally sporting some fancy gilt and Zaehnsdorfian trappings, but essentially without pedigree, without claim to any distinction other than that accorded the common run of six-penny pamphlets often found in the bookstalls. What they were then is, all nonsense aside, what they are now.

II. Textual Collation

As the collation is intended to distinguish various groups of texts, and the sequence within each group, the readings selected for the purpose are classed in several orders.

I. Authorized separate editions.

• Q1] Q2—3
  • 67 luxury] oppulence
  • 101 blest is he] happy he
  • 108 his gate] the gate
  • 111 Sinks] Bends
  • 184 ready] steady
  • 315 each joy] those joys
• Q1-3] Q4-10 8vo 11
  • 81 Here . . . range,] line omitted
  • 82 Trace . . . change,] line omitted
  • 125 soft] sweet
  • 147 Unskilful] Unpractised

II. Unauthorized separate editions. With the exception of text O, which follows Q4 or a later authorized edition, all reprints derive from Q1 and introduce variants distinctive to each group.

• Q1] Group originating in Edinburgh (A—J)
  • 33 chearful] cheerful
  • 93 groupe] group
  • 99 retirement,] retirement!
  • 218 a ends all he knew.] a continues, ends 220 is forgot.
  • 409 a continues] separate a And thou, sweet Poetry
• Q1] London (K)
  • 38 thy green] the green
  • 42 its weedy] its weeded
  • 49 shrinking] shrink
  • 58 its man] his man
  • 138 pensive] peusive
  • 158 Sate] Sat
  • 208 in fault] his fault
  • 253 a Yes!] no a
  • 273 Hoards . . . abound,] line omitted
  • 274 And . . . around,] line omitted
  • 279 extended] extensive
  • 284 spurns] spurn
  • 286 the world] this world
  • 380 her father's] a father's
  • 392 vigour] greatness
  • 403 melancholy] melancholy
• Q1] Dublin (L-M) Of all reprints these are the most accurate.
  • 59 wholsome] wholsom
  • 306 pride;] pride?
• Q1] Belfast (N)
  • 23 as each] at each
  • 239 splendours!] splendour!
  • 283 where] wehre
  • 308 flock] flook
  • 339 train] strain
  • 365 a Good Heaven] no a
  • 425 persuasive] presuasive

III. Distinctions within "Edinburgh" group (A—J)

(A) Typographical similarities.
• Eds. A—C: lineal reprints, one of another, with same number of dropped lines. Dedication, 1st par., last line: "mit me to inscribe this Poem to you."
• Ed. D: paginal but not lineal reprint, of smaller type and measure. 1st par., last line: "Poem to you."
• Ed. E: dedication a lineal reprint of A—C.
• Eds. H—I: pages 7-8 lineally reprint A—C.
• Eds. F—G, J: no similarity.

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38




• Conclusion: Typographically, D-E, H-I are immediately related to A—C but may not intravene in this sequence.
(B) Textual similarity to Q1: "hand" and "head" groups.
• Q1 A B F G] C D E H I J
• 37 tyrant's hand] tyrant's head
• 152 wanderings] wandering
• 401 where yon] where an
• (C) Variation within "hand" group. To exemplify the exact relation of the Weekly Magazine to this group and, further, the relation of separate edition G to the collected editions of 1782 and 1784, I offer an extensive collation of readings in lines 195-252. All variants are cited except those peculiar to the Magazine (WM) and elided 'e's in verbs of past tense, an alteration not consistently adopted or followed in any series of editions.
  Substantive variation:
  • Q1] WM A B 1775 (=F) 1782 G 1784
  • 218 a ends all he knew.] a continues, ends 220 is forgot.
  • Q1 WM A B F] 1782 G 1784
  • 248 lean to hear| learn to hear

Accidental variation:

                                               

Line	Q1 reading	WM	A	B	F	1782	G	1784
197	mansion,	,	,	,
198	school;	:	:	:	:	:	:	:
200	knew;	;	;	;	;	:	:	:
201a	learned	n'd	ned	ned	nt	nt	nt	nt
201b	trace					,	,
203	laugh'd					,	,	,
206	frowned;	:	:	:	:	:	:	:
208	fault;	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
210	too;	:	:	:	:	:	:	:
212	guage.	.	.		;	;	.	.
214a	e'en	e'en	e'en	e'en	ev'n	ev'n	,ev'n	ev'n
214b	tho'	tho'	tho'	tho'	though	in these eds
216	around,	;	;	;	;	:	:	:
222	sign-post	n-p	n-p	n p	n-p	n-p	n-p	n-p
228	place;	:	:	:	:	:	:	:
232	night,	,	,	,	,	,	.	,
236a	fennel	,	,	,
236b	gay,	;	;	;	;	;	;	;
237	shew,	ow,	ew,	ew,	ew,	ow,	ow.	ow,
239	splendours	ors	ours	ours	ours	ours	ors	ours
242	heart;	;	;	;	;	;	.	.
246a	wood-man's	dm	dm	dm	dm	dm	dm	dm
246b	prevail;	;	;	:	;	;	;	;

Conclusions:

         

The Weekly Magazine
Agrees with A-B against Q1 in 10 readings.	{198 206 208 210 216 218 228 236a
Never agrees with Q1 against A-B	{236b 246a
Agrees with A against B in 3 readings.	212 222 246b
Never agrees with B against A.

Edition G

         

Agrees with 1782-1784 against F in 4 readings.	200 203 216 248
Never agrees with F against 1782-1784.
Agrees with 1782 against 1784 in 1 reading.	201b
Agrees with 1784 against 1782 in 2 readings.	210 242
Differs from 5 readings common to 1782-1784.	214a 228 232 237 239

(D) Order of '1770' "hand" (A-B) and "head" (C-D) texts.

       

Q1 A] B C D	Q1 A B] C D	Q1 A B C] D
85 wanderings] wandrings	38 saddens] sadden's	110 Angels] Angel's
	66 Unwieldy] Unweildy	146 place;] place.
188 distrest;] distrest.

(E) Variation within "head" group.

     

C &c.] D J	C &c.] H I	D &c.] C E
112 way] way,	206 frown'd:] frown'd;	84 pain.] pain,
140 wild;] wild:	212 guage] guage;	302 peasant] peasants

(F) Terminal variants.

     

D &c.] J	H &c.] I
90 repose:] repose;	47 shapeless] shadeless
190 Heaven] heaven	121 gabbled] gobbled

III. Check-List of Separate Unauthorized Editions of the "Deserted Village" with Notes on Other Piracies

Though I have diligently pursued in numerous footnotes the many ramifications of this extraordinary problem, some questions still remain for consideration under this heading. For one, as Goldsmith's bibliographers have not only confused the ordering of the early "Village" reprints but occasionally provided facsimiles at variance with their descriptions, it will be necessary to preface my own list with a table converting previous notations to the established sequence. For another, while these earlier

accounts do give, after their fashion, much attention to the "Village" printings, not one mentions a contemporary series of "Traveller" editions. These occur too frequently to be ignored here, but thus far not so frequently that someone elsewhere could make something of them. To prevent such an attempt, and whatever notions might come of it, I shall therefore deal with them summarily under the description of the "Village" editions with which they are associated.

Separate editions

• A Printed in Edinburgh before July 19, possibly by Ruddiman. The Deserted Village, A Poem. By Dr. Goldsmith. [ornament] [Oxford rule] London: Printed for W. Griffin, at Garrick's Head, in Catharine-street, Strand. [short rule] M DCC LXX.
  • 12° in sixes. A-B6. English type (10 lines: 46 mm.)
  • Copytext: Q1. Size of copy (cut) 17.9 x 11.2 cm.
• Notes: Lines 195-252 of this edition were reprinted in the Weekly Magazine, or Edinburgh Amusement, July 19, 1770. Occasionally appearing with these earlier reprints is a "Fifth Edition" of the Traveller, a copy apparently taken from Newbery's legitimate fifth quarto edition of 1768, but now masquerading as a 12° 'Griffin' edition of 1770. Since of all the Village editions it most closely resembles A, and is bound with A in Lord Rothschild's volume, both probably have a common origin. For another combination, however, see note under C.
• Copies: NN (Berg), CSmH (film copy), Lord Rothschild.
• Other provincial editions
• B Printed between 1770-1777. The Deserted Village [&c. as for A except] Dr Goldsmith. . . . M DCC LXX.
  • Collation as for A. Pica type (10 lines: 42 mm.)
  • Copytext: A. Size of copy (uncut) 17.8 x 11.4 cm.
• Copies: NN (Berg), BM (Ashley 798).
• C Possibly printed as late as 1777, at which time it served as copy for E. The Deserted Village [&c. as for A except] Dr Goldsmith. [ornament] [double rule] . . . M DCC LXX.
  • Collation as for A. Pica type (10 lines: 41 mm.)
  • Copytext: B. Size of copy (uncut) 18.7 x 11.4 cm.

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41




• Notes: Scott erroneously cites ornaments on half-title and page [5] as identical: the one line consists of diamonds, with a star at each end; the other of leaves. This, the edition most often described as the "rare private issue", is the common public reprint which, in the spring of 1783, Boswell gave to Johnson for a notation of the lines he had supplied. Again in this spring, perhaps at the same time, Johnson was asked to annotate a 12° "Fifth Edition" of the Traveller which also was dated '1770' and imprinted for 'W. Griffin'. The title and page 24 of this inscribed copy, as well as page 24 of the Village copy, are reproduced in the R. B. Adam Library relating to Dr. Johnson (1929), II, facsimiles preceding p. 19. Another copy of the Traveller, cited in the note to A, is in Lord Rothschild's library.
• Copies: NN (Berg), NNP (2 copies), MH, CLU-C (film copy), Lord Rothschild (2 copies).
• D Possibly printed as late as 1784, at which time it served as copy for J. The Deserted Village, A Poem. By Dr Goldsmith. [French rule] London: Printed for W. Griffin, at Garrick's Head, in Catharine Street, Strand. [short rule] M,DCC,LXX.
  • Collation as for A. Small pica type (10 lines: 39 mm.)
  • Copytext: C. Size of copy (cut) 17.5 x 10.0 cm.
• Note: Only A3 and B3 registered.
• Copies: BM (Ashley 799), CSmH (film copy).
• E The Deserted Village, A Poem. By Dr Goldsmith. [ornament] [ornamental rule] London: Printed for W. Griffin, at Garrick's-Head, in Catharine-Street, Strand. [short ornamental rule] M,DCC,LXXVII.
  • 12°. A12. Copytext: C. Only A3 registered.
• Copy: Professor Ronald S. Crane. Verso of the title page bears inscription "Chrisr. Moresby | Workington 1781". This topical annotation further attests the provincial origin of these earlier editions. The town of Workington, in the county of Cumberland, adjoining Scotland, is about 95 miles from Edinburgh, 312 miles from London.
• F The Deserted Village: A Poem. [ornamental rule] By Oliver Goldsmith, M.B. [ornamental rule] The Fourth Edition. [ornamental rule] London: Printed for W. Griffin, at Garrick's Head, Catherine-Street, in the Strand. [short Oxford rule] M DCC LXXV.
  • 8° in fours. A-B4. Copytext: A.
• Notes: A reimpression of section X3r-Z3v in The Miscellaneous Works of Oliver Goldsmith, M.B. (1775). Alterations: new title, signatures, and pagination to conform to present imposition, different type preceding and following text of dedication, new rules above text of poem, reset type for the second paragraph (lines 35-50)— necessitated, apparently, by some pie in the transfer—and, below the last line of text, the substitution of "The End" for the catchword "Edwin". As this and, presumably, the Select Poems are both offprints of the Works, it is not unlikely that other sections of the book were similarly treated and may hereafter

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  appear, with the same imprint and date, under the titles The Traveller and Select Essays. Possibly these, like the Village impression, may also occur as various "editions".
• Copy: Professor Ronald S. Crane. The last page of this copy has been hand-stamped "James Robison's", with the apostrophe inverted, as indicated.
• G [1783] [fly-title] The Deserted Village.
  • 12° in sixes. A-B6. Copytext: Miscellaneous Works (1782).
• Notes: Page A6v carries the signature 'S3'. Possibly this issue is an offprint of an unknown edition of the Miscellaneous Works, ca. 1783.
• Copy: MH.

Editions deriving from provincial issues, but printed in London.

• H [1783] The Deserted Village. A Poem. By Dr. Goldsmith. [ornament] [French rule] London: Printed for the Booksellers in Town and Country.
  • 8° in fours. A 4 B-C4. Copytext: C.
• Notes: C2 unsigned; with catchwords. Bound with the Bodley copy is an edition, fully titled "The Traveller: Or a Prospect of Society", also retaining catchwords, and imprinted as in H.
• Copy: Bodl. (G. Pamph. 1267) Vertical chainlines in all gatherings; lacks fold A2:3.
• I [1784] The Deserted Village. [&c. as in H except] [ornamental rule] London: Printed for the Booksellers, in Town and Country.
  • Collation as for H. Copytext: H
• Notes: C2 signed; without catchwords. This, apparently, is the reprint mentioned in the authorized 11th edition of 1784. Bound with the BM copy is another edition, with abbreviated title "The Traveller", also without catchwords, and imprinted as in I.
• Copies: BM (10602.e.4.[2]). Horizontal chainlines in all gatherings; page 16, last line: "white-wash'd". ICU. Horizontal lines in A and C, vertical in B; page 16, last line: "white-wash'd". Below the imprint of this copy is inscribed "1770" and on page [6], in a different hand, "May 6. 1770".
• J [1784] [engraved title-page] The Deserted Village, A Poem By Dr. Goldsmith. [reversed and reduced copy of Q vignette, signed "Mutlow & Woodman, sculpt"] London: Printed for J. Barker, Russell Court, Drury Lane.
  • 8° in fours. A 4 B-D4. Copytext: D.
• Notes: Issued, it would seem, shortly after the copyright expired in 1784; containing a notice vaguely alluding to H-I and other reprints then on the market; and bearing a Britannia watermark (H218) which Heawood found in a parish document dated 1790.
• Copies: MH, ICU, BM (11633.aa.21).

Editions copied directly from Q1, but issued in various places.

• K [1784] The Deserted Village. A Poem. [rule] [ornament] [double rule] London: Printed for T. Martin, Letter-Case Maker, No. 11, Club Row, Bethnal Green.
  • 4°.i1(=B1) A4B4(—B1). Signed leaves: A1, A2, A4, B2.
• Note: As indicated in collation, the first gathering appears to be inserted between the first two leaves of the second.
• Copy: MH.
• L The Deserted Village, A Poem. By Dr. Goldsmith. [ornamental rule] Dublin: Printed for J. Exshaw, H. Saunders, B. Grierson, J. Potts, W. Sleator, D. Chamberlaine, J. Hoey, jun. J. Williams, C. Ingham, J. Porter, and R. Moncrieffe. [short rule] MDCCLXX.
• 8° in fours. A 4 B-E4.
• Copy: CSmH (film).
• M The Deserted Village, A Poem. By Dr. Goldsmith. The Second Edition. Dublin: Printed for H. Saunders [&c. as in L] . . . MDCCLXX.
  • Collation as for L. Copytext: L.
• Copy: CLU-C. Description taken from Clark Library catalogue.
• N The Deserted Village: A Poem. By the late Dr. Oliver Goldsmith. [ornament] [short rule] M,DCC,LXXV.
• 8°. A8.
• Notes: The watermark in this copy, not represented in Heawood, consists of a circular band around a lyre, below which appears the designation BELFAST. Very probably the edition derives from a collection I have been unable to trace, but which is cited in CBEL (II. 637) as Poems by the late Dr. Oliver Goldsmith, Belfast, 1775. If the Poems contains all the errors given in the textual collation, then N is undoubtedly an offprint; if only certain of these, then N is of another setting.
• Copy: In the writer's possession, the generous gift of Mr. Philip Gaskell.

Reprint based on Q4 or later edition

• O The Deserted Village, A Poem By Dr. Goldsmith. [reversed and reduced Q vignette, signed "Taylor del Liebe sc Lips."] [Oxford rule] Altenburgh. Printed for Gottlob Emanuel Richter, and committed to A. F. Boeme Bookseller in Leipzig. MDCCLXXIII.
• Notes: In the only volume I have seen, this is one of several poems, each with its own title, and bound together under the general title "Four Poems". Collation for the book:

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  • 8°. A1 : General title
  • A8(-A1) B8 C4 : Armine and Elvira
  • D4 E-G8 H6 : The Hermit of Warkworth
  • I2 K8 L6 : The Deserted Village
  • M2 N-O8 : The Traveller
  As each of these was obviously prepared for separate distribution, I represent the Village section as, potentially, of a distinct issue.
• Copy: BM (11603.d.27).

Addendum: Of all the known variants of this poem only one can be properly defined as a "private issue." This is the quarto copy reported in The Library of William Andrews Clark Jr. ("Modern English Literature," III, 33-34), and there described as having a first edition title-page without vignette and a third edition text. Actually, as the press figures reveal, the text is of the fifth edition. Preceding this is a conjugate double-leaf of slightly heavier paper than usual, bearing the watermark of a crest above the initials LVG (Heawood 1743?), with half-title on i1, and on i2 a title in which the area normally occupied by vignette and edition reference contains an MS. reading "For Miss Polly Safe 1770, W.A." My thanks to Mr. H. Richard Archer, bibliographer of the Clark Library, for information regarding this copy.

Notes