Gertrude Of Wyoming; A Pennsylvanian Tale & Other Poems
Printed by T. Bensley: London 1809 1st Edition
"Gertrude of Wyoming; A Pennsylvanian Tale & Other Poems is the first edition of one of Thomas Campbell's most celebrated poetic works, published in London in 1809 at the height of the Romantic movement. Best known for The Pleasures of Hope, Campbell here turns to narrative verse, with Gertrude of Wyoming offering a poignant and tragic tale set against the Pennsylvania frontier during the turbulence of the American colonial wars. The poem is admired for its lyrical beauty, emotional depth, and vivid evocation of landscape, combining classical refinement with the emerging Romantic emphasis on sentiment, nature, and human suffering.
The title poem unfolds as a pastoral idyll disrupted by violence, exploring themes of innocence, loss, exile, and the fragility of civilisation on the frontier. Campbell's language is richly musical and painterly, with extended passages describing rivers, forests, and distant mountains that reflect both the emotional states of the characters and the broader moral tragedy of war. The accompanying poems further demonstrate Campbell's range, encompassing reflective, patriotic, and elegiac verse, and reinforcing his reputation as one of the leading poetic voices of his generation.
Offered here as a complete first edition in its original large manuscript format, this copy survives in unrestored condition with failed bindings and loose leaves, presenting a genuine early nineteenth-century working text rather than a later rebound example. Despite its fragile state, it remains a highly desirable literary artefact, particularly appealing to collectors of Romantic poetry, scholars of early nineteenth-century literature, and those drawn to original, unrefined copies of landmark poetic works."
