Gray, Thomas.

8vo, first collected edition, contemporary French blue-green polished calf, upper and lower covers with gilt borders composed of filigrees, flowers and stars, gilt inner dentelles, marbled endpapers, silk marker, all edges gilt, contemporary French ownership signature on title page, some slight wear to edges of binding

Rothschild 1071; Tinker 1169

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This "new edition" by Dodsley, which contains Gray's great pastoral masterpiece "Elegy Written in a Country Church-yard",  was intended  to supercede the six poem "Collection" published by Bentley in 1753. Dodsley had published the first separate edition of the "Elegy" in 1751, when it rapidly became the most admired and imitated poem of the century.