Description
The first edition, early issue of The Hasty Pudding, A Poem, In Three Cantos by Joel Barlow. With two engraved plates, published in New York in 1796.
Twelvemo, [1], [1]-12, [1]. No date or publication information provided. Brown paper wraps, bound at spine with string. General toning throughout, front plate missing top quarter. Previous ownership inscription in pencil on front cover, dated 1872. Includes frontispiece engraving by A. Doolittle, titled “Poise with one hand your bowl upon your knee.” Additional engraving at rear, titled “The dry husks rustle and the corn-cobs crack” also by Doolittle.
(Evans 30024) (BAL 893)
A scarce imprint.
The Hasty Pudding by Joel Barlow was first published in 1796 as a mock-heroic poem celebrating the simple American dish of hasty pudding, made from cornmeal. The poem was written while Barlow was in France, reflecting his nostalgia for American life, and was originally published in The New-York Magazine before later being issued as a standalone pamphlet. Its humorous and patriotic tone made it a notable work of early American literature, emphasizing the virtues of agrarian simplicity in contrast to European sophistication.
