ABSTRACT

This episode neatly illustrates the conflicting interests involved in the publication of Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery, 1820. In the event, no dedication appeared. Edward Drury, cousin of the London publisher, John Taylor, was an astute bookseller from Stamford (Henson’s rival), anxious to have a hand in Clare’s concerns, and reluctant to part with MSS. Great ill-feeling developed, as Drury realized he was being ousted: nobody comes out of the protracted affair with much dignity (see Introduction, p. 3). For Taylor, see No. 5; for Gilchrist, No. 6.