The Mask of Anarchy Written on the Occasion of the Massacre at Manchester
London: Reeves & Turner, 1887. Introduction by H. Buxton Forman. Fac-simile of the holograph manuscript. Hardcover. Octavo, 27 x 20.5 cm; [14, unnumbered], 52, [4], 24 facsimile pages, [2], [10 advertisements] pp. Pages clean and unmarked. Frontispiece has some tears on edge of page. Boards in fair condition, some exposure of the spine, plus numerous chips, tears, fading, and soiling. Binding loose, but intact. Staining to endpapers as well.
Published for the Shelley Society; The Shelly Society's Publications Extra Series No 4. Limited to 500 copies. Frontispiece present. A 48 page introduction by H. Buxton Forman, followed by a 2 page letter from Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley to John Bowring, followed by the facsimile of Shelley's manuscript.
Now known as the Peterloo Massacre, cavalry charged into a crowd gathered to listen to Henry Hunt urge parliamentary reform after years of economic hardship. Up to 18 were killed and hundreds injured. Originally written in 1819, it was not published until 1832, 10 years after Shelley's death. A rallying cry of nonviolent resistance, it has been recited during recent political movements, from Tiananmen to Tahir Square. Good. Item #109
Price: $50.00