Early 20th Century Decorative Leather Book, Jewett's Translation of the Pearl, a Middle English Poem

Description

Offered is an early 20th century decorative leather book, a translation that Jewett undertook, a version of the complex Middle … more Offered is an early 20th century decorative leather book, a translation that Jewett undertook, a version of the complex Middle English poem The Pearl in the original meter and selected lyrics such as a "Nativity Song" adapted from the work of Jacopone da Todi. The "Pearl Poet", or the "Gawain Poet", is the name given to the author of Pearl, an alliterative poem written in 14th-century Middle English known from a single surviving manuscript, the British Library holding Cotton Nero A. x. This body of work includes some of the greatest poetry written in Middle English. The Pearl Poet remains unidentified. Some scholarship has argued to assign the poem to one John Massey, a member of the landed gentry from Cheshire. This attribution of the poems of Cotton Nero A. x is not widely accepted, however, reflected in the ongoing use of the labels "Pearl Poet" or "Gawain Poet."

Title: The Pearl, A Middle English Poem, A Modern Version in the Metre of the Original.
Author: "Pearl Poet", Sophie Jewett (Translator) Associate Professor of English Literature in Wellesley College.
Publisher: Thomas Y. Crowell Publishers, New York.
Edition: Copyright 1908; Published September, 1908. Third Thousand.
Binding/description: Finely rebound circa 1920, 3/4 burgundy leather over marble paper boards, gilt decorated spine with (5) raised bands, matching marble endpapers, upper gilt leaf edge.

Author Note: Jewett initially published poetry under the pseudonym Ellen Burroughs (borrowed from her mother's name). Fellow poet Richard Watson Gilder called her a true poet with a golden gift. Miss Jewett was said to be shy and self-critical about her poetry, and disliked the process of offering her books up for publication and she was said to possess a sharp wit and was skilled at repartee. Sophie Jewett was a writer of faith and vision. less