Paradise Lost. A Poem, in Twelve Books. The Tenth Edition, Adorn'd with Sculptures.

This volume is bound in leather over boards, with red mottling to the edges of the text block. The front paste-down has 2 labels on the top left; "From the Library of Kenneth Monkman at Shandy Hall" with underneath "Property of the L S Trust, 1986". Written in pencil on this page are "10th edition" and "Portrait and coffin Engravings". Written in ink on the front free end-page is the following on 11 lines "This Book was given me by my Respected Friend the Reverd. Doctor Villiar, who had been for 8 years herein Berlin, chiefly to teach her Royal Highness the Princess, the English Language; he left this place to return in to the to England, Saturday Y.e 28th of January 1730. n.s.james minet" with written in half-lines also "This Princess who at that time was thought to be destined for the prince of Wales, was afterwards, married to the Mazgrasraffe of Bazeith (?)". Written in the same hand on the reverse of the rear free end-page is "the Numbers in the Spectator which contain Notes upon the Twelve Books of Paradise Lost are the following." with the following listed vertically "No.267, 73, 9, 85, 91, 7, 303, 9, 15, 21, 7, 33, 9, 45, 51, 7, 63, 9" Facing the title-page is the frontispiece which depicts the head of presumably Milton with underneath "Three Poets in three distant Ages born ~ Greece, Italy and England did adorn. The first in loftiness of thought surpass'd; The next in Majesty in both the Last. The force of Nature cou'd no further goc; to To make a Third she joined the Former two. Dryden" On the reverse of the title page is a circular stamp in ink with "Laurence Sterne Trust Shandy Hall" with "The Kenneth Monkman Collection" inside.