8vo. [8], 88pp. With an errata slip pasted to verso of title page. Recent green cloth, lettered in gilt. Very minor shelf-wear. Some loss to lower corners of leaves C4 and E4, neat repair to head of leaves G1-2 at gutter (just touching text, without loss), small burn hole to upper corner of leaf I4, occasional spotting.

The first edition of the first published work of blind Scottish poet Thomas Blacklock (1721-1791). The poems range from one written before he was twelve, to two odes on the 1745 Jacobite Rising. The book was reprinted in 1754, with a life by Gilbert Gordon, after Blacklock resumed his studies at the University of Edinburgh, which had been interrupted by the Rebellion. David Hume, a champion of Blacklock's verse, exhorted his friends and acquaintances to support the poet by purchasing copies of the book. In addition to the patronage of Hume, Blacklock enjoyed the company of Robert Burns. A later reprint of the 1754 edition had attached a short life by Joseph Spence, prebendary at Durham who made great efforts to ensure that the publication was supported by a long and prestigious list of subscribers, including Hume.