The Farmer's Boy: A Rural Poem. [bound with ] Good Tidings; or, News from the Farm. A Poem

Printed for Vernor and Hood, Poultry, by T. Bensley, Bolt-Court, Fleet-Street first edition, 1800 / From the Parnassian Press, for Vernor and Hood, Lomndon, 1804. Later half-calf and marbled boards, early backstrip laid down on spine, 4to,. xvi, 102, 37, [1] pp (lacking final blank). This volume has the first edition of The Farmer's Boy (Cranbrook and Hadfield item 1) bound with the second issue of Good Tidings (Cranbrook and Hadfield 4a). The second item is "Dedicated to Dr. Edward Jenner, as the discoverer, and to the members of the Royal Jennerian Society, as the promoters, of vaccine inoculation". Robert Bloomfield (1766-1823) was born and died in poverty, but in the middle of his life he shot to prominence as something of a literary meteor, with the publication in 1800 of his 'The Farmer's Boy', which went on to sell some 26,000 copies in less than three years and to be translated into French, Italian and Latin hexameters. His reputation grew further with subsequent publications, including Good Tidings, his third book, but ill-health and an unsuccessful attempt at bookselling led to bankruptcy and a sad decline. From a biography of Bloomfield: "..Bloomfield became interested in the great Dr, Jenner's discovery of the smallpox vaccine and his experiments in connection with it at the turn of the century. As early as January 1802 we find Robert writing to Drake.. "What think you of the Vaccine? Is it not a glorious cause?” From that moment he occupies his mind with the idea of a poem in praise of Jenner and his work... by July 21st, 1802, Bloomfield is able to write to his brother George to the effect that he has met Jenner, who by that time had become a kind of hero in the mind of the poet, "I have seen Dr. Jenner,” he wrote "and his kindness almost induced me to show him the little progress I have made in pursuit of his subject; but I, suddenly determined to the contrary, and doubted of the propriety of so doing... On that same day he was invited to take tea at Jenner's house. Their friendship developed and with it grew Bloomfield's anxiety to produce a poem through which he could help to popularise the Doctor's all-important vaccine. Booklabel of W, Greatorex on front pastedown endpaper, inscription on title-page: "Willm Ferguson Given to him by Mrs Palmer." Previous owner's pencilled note on contents pasted to rear pastedown endpaper (noting inter alia the presence of the attractive watermark of J. Ruse 1802 on page 14 of Good Tidings) , waterstaining to lower and fore-edge margins, (not affecting text) throughout, some other marks.