1923 A Song To David by Christopher Smart Antique Australian Literature Book

This Australian private press edition is enhanced by an extensive introduction and scholarly notes by distinguished historian, bibliographer and literary critic Percival Serle, whose commentary places Smart's work within the wider tradition of English literature. Serle discusses the poem's critical reception, drawing upon the admiration of figures including Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Robert Browning, while exploring the extraordinary circumstances of Smart's life and the remarkable survival of his literary reputation. The result is an elegant and highly readable edition that combines fine typography with valuable literary scholarship.

Privately printed at "Asolo," Church Street, Hawthorn, Melbourne, in 1923, this is the true first edition of a finely produced Australian private press publication. It is number 181 of a strictly limited edition of just 300 copies, making it a scarce and highly collectible issue. Produced on quality handmade paper and retaining its original paper-covered boards with cloth spine, this edition is particularly desirable to collectors of fine press books, Australian private press printing, Percival Serle, and eighteenth-century English poetry, representing an important intersection of Australian book production and classic English literature."