Thomas Park, The Works of the British Poets, collated with the best editions. 48? Volumes (London: J. Sharpe, 1808-9?)
Information about the collection: Each volume amounts to something like a collected works of up to five poets, "collated with the best editions" and preceded quite often by a sometimes-anonymous encomium or elegy. There are no prefaces in the individual volumes; there is no critical or bio-bibliographic information, and the dates for the poems are not listed. Each volume contains an engraving illustrating one of the poems as the frontiespiece, and other than the categorical distinction of the 'major' vs the 'minor' poets enforced by the use of a supplement, the ordering of the series appears to be random (i.e. it does not proceed from volume 1 through 42 by exact chronology). There are simply too many poem titles to reproduce, so only the contents of each volume and the names of the poets will be included as they appear on the title pages (so if no first name is listed, then none is to be found on the individual title page). There are 42 volumes in the series, which is also known as "Sharpe's edition," and 6 volumes appearing in the Supplement (see the advertisement for this below).
Advertisement for the Supplement to the British Poets:
So great is the accession to the stock of our national poetry, that no apology should seem necessary for offering to poetic readers a classical edition of the
Select Works of the Minor Poets
Of the poets whose productions thus constitute the present volumes, twenty-two are to be found in Dr. Johnson's English Poets; while seventeen more, which made no part of his scheme, are selected, for the first time, from various sources. It is in this way that the better poems of thirty-nine authors, who, if the old principle of collection were now tried, must be entirely excluded from great works, are here agreeably presented to the world. From all that was once heterogenously amalgamated, much, it will be seen, is now not unbeneficially extracted. Who would not aspire to rescue the 'Creation' of Blackmore from the chaos of his verses; but, who desires to know much more of Pomfret than his 'Wish'?
The present volumes, which are supplementary to 'Sharpe's edition of British Poets,' are particularly recommended as necessary to the completion of that work, to those admirers of poetry who may desire to possess, within some just compass, the more estimable effusions of our Minor Poets. Conscious of having made his best efforts to render the present volume alike gratifying to the lovers of letters and of the fine arts, the Publisher confidently awaits the result of that patronage which has been so liberally bestowed in the periodical course of this work.
Table of Contents:
(Again, the engravings are illustrations of one of the poems, not of the
poets, though the titles of most are names.)