Letter from William Wordsworth to Francis Merewether. This extremely rare edition once belonged to the American musical theater composer Jerome Kern. In his poem, Wordsworth celebrates the heroics of Grace Darling, who became a Victorian icon for her role in rescuing the survivors of the Forfarshire after it was shipwrecked near her father’s lighthouse in 1838. Privately printed and inscribed by the author. Carlisle: Printed at the office of Charles Thurnam, 1843. The author’s inscription reads as follows: “To Lady Townshend Farquhar / in token of affectionate Regard / from her / Sincere Friend / W m Wordsworth / Rydal Mount / 14th Novbr 1832.” Lady Maria Frances Geslip ( née de Latour) was the widow of Sir Robert Townsend Farquhar, a Member of Parliament. London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman, 1832. The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth. The ABL has several rare editions of Wordsworth’s poetry, including three inscribed copies, in addition to five unpublished or partially published letters. Notable works include Lyrical Ballads (17) and The Prelude, which was not published until after his death in 1850.

William Wordsworth was the foremost of the early Romantic poets in England, known on the one hand for his use of familiar imagery and language on the other, for his complex and contemplative blank verse and in either case, for his devotion to nature. Courtesy of the Armstrong Browning Libraryīy Michael Milburn, Graduate Assistant, Armstrong Browning Library