[Smollett, Tobias.]

8vo (175 x 110mm.), first edition, in verse, drop-head title, two leaves, modern crushed dark blue morocco gilt by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, new endpapers, some slight staining to leaves

Foxon S535

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."

Smollett's very rare first publication, written shortly after the Rebellion of 1745, when he was in his mid-twenties. As Foxon records, the typography appears to be Scottish. It was possibly first published, set to music by James Oswald, in the anthology The Land of Cakes, published in December 1746. Atlhough not a Jacobite Smollett had "the feelings of a Scotch gentleman on the reported cruelties that were said to be exercised after the Battle of Culloden" (Carlyle, quoted in the Oxford DNB); these feelings clearly inform The Land of Tears. In later years the work became a set-piece of Scottish verse, and was widely anthologized.