The First Appearance of Coleridge's Kubla Khan

S[amuel] T[aylor] Coleridge. CHRISTABEL: KUBLA KHAN, A VISION; THE PAINS OF SLEEP. London: Printed for John Murray by William Bulmer and Co., 1816. First edition. Three-quarter blue calf over marbled paper-covered boards, gilt-tooled spine with two raised bands, with marbled and fresh endpapers and top edge gilt. Thin 8vo; vii, [i], 64pp. With half-title. Wise Coleridge 32; Ashley I, p. 204; Grolier, English 70.

8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.

From the Collection of Dr. Jeremiah P. Starling

Each of the poems included here – Christabel, Kubla Khan, and The Pains of Sleep – "appeared for the first time in the pages of this volume" (Wise).

Apparently, the publisher, John Murray, agreed to publish Christabel in its unfinished state on the recommendation of Lord Byron (Grolier, English).

Boards with rubbing and light scuffing, soiling and a subtle damp stain, joints and corners rubbed; chipping at head of spine and cracking starting at ends with a split at head of rear joint; hinge cracking at ends with the rest superficial; free endpapers with some minor glue residue visible at gutter; interior with mild toning, occasional light grime and spotting, minor offsetting, a closed tear at the half-title, and one leaf with a minor chip at inner margin; without the four pages of ads that were inserted into some copies. An approaching very good copy of this scarce volume.