Lloyd, Charles

2 volumes, 8vo (7 1/4 x 4 3/8 in.; 184 x 111 mm, uncut).  Half-titles. Full red morocco gilt by the Club Bindery, spines gilt in six compartments, top edges gilt, gilt dentelles, marbled endpapers.  Half red morocco gilt slipcase.

Robert Hoe (bookplate) — A. Edward Newton (bookplate)

Condition as described in catalogue entry.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

First edition. The roman à clef that destroyed Lloyd's friendship with Coleridge. A number of Lloyd's friends and members of his family were disturbed by this indiscreet novel.  When William and Dorothy Wordsworth were shown the manuscript in 1797, they insisted that portions of it be cut.  When the published work appeared, even Lloyd's own mother claimed to be "wounded to the quick." It was Lloyd's friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge, however, who bore the brunt of Lloyd's attack. Edmund Oliver's flight from Oxford and enlistment in the dragoons, his obsession with the anti-heroine Gertrude Sinclair, all were clearly based on incidents from Coleridge's own life which he had discussed with Lloyd in confidence.  The Coleridge character is also depicted as indulging in sexual excess, drunkenness, and opium eating. It goes without saying that the friendship never recovered from this blow.

The fine  Hoe — Edward Newton copy.