Letters written by Jonathan Swift. Dean of St. Patrick's, Dublin, and several of his Friends from the Year 1703 to 1740. Published from the Originals; with Notes Explanatory and Historical. The Fifth Edition. LORD JOHN TOWNSHEND'S COPY

3 vols., sm. 8vo., Fifth Edition, on laid paper, with marbled endpapers, half-titles in red and black, some light and occasional spotting (primarily in the first volume, with rather heavier spotting on a few scattered leaves); attractively bound in contemporary full calf, sides with gilt frame border, backs with five raised bands, second and third compartments with new leather labels gilt in red and black to style, all other compartments elaborately tooled and ruled in gilt, gilt doublures, covers mildly scuffed and age-marked, joints rubbed and cracked (but bindings entirely sound) else a crisp and elegant original set in largely unrestored period binding. This copy was formerly in the library of Lord John Townshend, with his printed early nineteenth century book-label on front paste-down of all three volumes. His printed press-label in present on all three front paste-downs, superseded by a MS press-mark on front free endpaper versos.Published as vols. 19-21 of Hawkesworth's edition of the 'Works', but the letters are complete in themselves. Whilst made-up sets are not uncommon, it is pleasing to see an original set in this crisp state. The bibliography of the several Hawkesworth editions is complex. Teerink (pp.80-83) distinguishes no fewer than seven separate stages of publication which he summarises in an invaluable table (p.104).The 'fifth edition' present here is the Large Crown Paper issue of the Small Octavo edition.The original owner was probably the politician Lord John Townshend (1757-1833). He was the son of George, 1st Marquess Townshend and Lady Charlotte Compton, and father of Rear-Admiral Townshend, who succeeded to the family title as 4th Marquess.CBEL II, p.583; Jackson, p.184; Teerink 90.