1934: An Enquiry into the Nature of Certain Nineteenth Century Pamphlets: Scarce

By John Carter and Graham Pollard 

Published by Constable and Company Limited, 1934

First Edition. xxii, 400; 95pp. Octavo. Publisher's red cloth with titles in gilt to spine.  

Book is in good condition, light shelf-wear to boards with a few spots of discolouration. Spine faded. Head of spine with a few chips to cloth. Text clean, binding firm and square, tag attached inside to rear endpaper stating " This volume is reserved at present for the use of subscribers under the Class "O.D." and "A" Terms."

An Enquiry into the Nature of Certain Nineteenth Century Pamphlets is a seminal work in the field of bibliographic investigation. It centers on a series of rare pamphlets attributed to prominent 19th-century authors such as Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Alfred Tennyson, which had begun circulating in the rare book market. Carter and Pollard undertook a meticulous examination of these pamphlets, analysing typographic details, paper quality, and publication history. Their research revealed that many of these works were forgeries, created and distributed by Thomas J. Wise, a highly respected bibliophile and bibliographer of the time.

The book's revelations sent shockwaves through the literary and collecting communities. Wise had long been considered a paragon of scholarly integrity, and the exposure of his fraudulent activities challenged the foundations of Victorian literary scholarship. Carter and Pollard's work not only unmasked Wise but also introduced a new level of forensic rigor to bibliographic studies. Their methods, grounded in physical evidence and historical context, set a precedent for future investigations into literary authenticity.

This enquiry remains a landmark in literary history, both for its scholarly precision and for its role in reshaping how rare books and manuscripts are evaluated. It stands as a testament to the importance of skepticism and verification in academic research, and continues to influence bibliographers, collectors, and historians to this day.

The Origin and Early Stages of the Investigation

The Need for Positive Evidence

The Typographical Analysis

Further Tests

Summary of Proved Conclusions

The Modern First Edition Market 1885–1895

The Forger’s Method

Establishing the Pedigrees

Robert Browning

George Eliot

Rudyard Kipling

William Morris

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

John Ruskin

Robert Louis Stevenson

Algernon Charles Swinburne

Matthew Arnold

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Marketing the Forgeries

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Stop Press

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