A Week at Harrogate: A Poem, in a Series of Letters

Stated third edition, 1818. viii, 9-98pp [2]. Printed card boards. With woodcut vignettes and colophon of Hargrove Printers. 12mo. Rubbed, a little soiled rounded at corners, chipped at edges, backstrip chipped away with replacement spine label, front board partially detached. Internally neat, clean, bright and tight barring a few hints of toning; and the occasional mark. This series of verse epistles, from BxxJxMxN BlxxDExHxxD to his friend SxMxN (Benjamin Blunderhead to Simon), was first published by Hargrove and Sons in Harrogate in 1812. It is similar to Mrs Hofland's 'A Season at Harrogate', also first published in 1812, and is attributed to Mrs Hofland in Halkett and Laing. Although Hargrove did ask Mrs Hofland for a verse guide to Harrogate, partly to puff up his shop in the town, her letters show that she was unhappy about the payment and her book was eventually published by G Wilson with a signed preface by Mrs Hofland. It is possible Hargrove commissioned the work elsewhere. The North Yorkshire County Library holds a copy of 'A Week in Harrogate' with a pencilled attribution to a local writer, David Lewis (See Butts, Mistress of our Tears, 9 and p. 100). Scarce.