Confessions of an English Opium-Eater.

The 'most famous account of drug addiction in English literature' (Norman).

First published in the London Magazine the previous year, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater was an instant hit which brought De Quincey (1785-1859) immediate literary fame both at home and across the Atlantic. The memoir recounts De Quincey's early life, his formative relationship with the kindly prostitute Ann of Oxford Street, and descent into (lifelong) opium addiction. This edition, the first in book form, also introduced an appendix recording De Quincey's opium consumption over the period.

A legendary figure, the bibliographer H.G. Bohn recalled: 'These "Confessions" were written in a little room at the back of Mr. H.G. Bohn's premises, No. 4, York Street, Covent Garden, where Mr. De Quincey resided, in comparative seclusion, for several years. He had previously lived in the neighbourhood of Soho Square, and for some years was a frequent visitor to the shop of Mr. Bohn's father, then the principal dealer in German books. The writer remembers that he always seemed to speak in a kind of whisper' (Lowndes).

With provenance for the illustrator Arthur Joseph Gaskin RBSA (1862-1928), who together with his wife Georgie Gaskin were members of the Birmingham Group of Artist-Craftsmen, which sought to apply the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement across the decorative arts. He studied under Edward R. Taylor at the Birmingham School of Art, and despite not completing the course later taught there.

Third edition; 12mo (17.5 x 11 cm); 6pp publisher's ads to rear, ownership inscription in pen to title below erased inscription with some thinning to paper beneath, minor spotting; 20th-century half brown morocco, marbled boards ruled in gilt, gilt spine in 6 banded compartments, abraded with slight loss to bottom corner of upper cover, very good; iv, 206, 6[ads]pp.

Cf.Lowndes 2026.