A very good copy of the well-known English essayist Charles Lamb's best known work. First appearing between 1820 and 1823 in the London Magazine, the content is known to be largely autobiographical. "Lamb adopted the name Elia, which was that of a former Italian clerk at the South Sea House, ostensibly to save the embarrassment of his brother John, who worked at that same place, but also, one must suppose, for literary reasons…They present with exquisite humour and pathos and in a brilliant and inimitable style characters that the author has known the productions of a playful or melancholy fancy and general comments and criticism." (OCEL)

A very good copy of the well-known English essayist Charles Lamb's best known work. First appearing between 1820 and 1823 in the London Magazine, the content is known to be largely autobiographical. "Lamb adopted the name Elia, which was that of a former Italian clerk at the South Sea House, ostensibly to save the embarrassment of his brother John, who worked at that same place, but also, one must suppose, for literary reasons…They present with exquisite humour and pathos and in a brilliant and inimitable style characters that the author has known the productions of a playful or melancholy fancy and general comments and criticism." (OCEL)

With an introduction and notes by Alfred Ainger (1837-1904) the English biographer, well known for his biography of Lamb published first in 1882.