"The greatest poem of Political Protest ever written in English"
The Masque of Anarchy, to which is added, Queen Liberty; Song—To the Men of England.
London: James Watson, 1852.
Price: $350.00
About the item
Hunt, Leigh, preface. 24pp.; 34pp extra leaves for bulk. 12mo. "The greatest poem of Political Protest ever written in English" Original wrappers bound in, triple ruled gilt polished calf with gilt decorated panels, vertical spine title, top edge gilt, and gilt dentelles. Some rubbing to edges, as usual with calf. Granniss 80 (First ed.); Holmes, R., Shelley, the Pursuit. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1974.
Item #323509
"The Masque of Anarchy" was written in twelve days in September 1819, one month after the Peterloo Affair, and sent to Leigh Hunt for publication in The Examiner, but remained unpublished until 1832 for fear of persecution. Mrs. Shelley writes that Shelley had in mind a series of poems that would bring to light the suffering of "the common people." The other two works published here, "Queen Liberty" ("A New National Anthem", first published in Poetical Works, 1839) and "Song—To the Men of England" (also published in Poetical Works, 1839) were written in the same burst of political outpouring, following the same colloquial ballad style as "The Masque of Anarchy," and that previously he hadn't used since 1812. OCLC locates only one copy, at UC Berkeley.
