(London: W. Bowyer, for Jacob Tonson at Shakespear's Head in the Strand, and Bernard Lintot between the Temple-Gates in Fleetstreet; By J. Wright, for Lawton Gillives at Homer's Head; J.Wright for J. Knapton in Ludgatestreet, L. Gilliver in Fleetstreet, J. Brindleh in New Bond Street, and R.. Dodsley in Pall-mall, 1717; 1735; 1737).

FIRST EDITION OF EACH VOLUME. Alexander Pope was an interesting figure in that he was raised as a Roman Catholic in England and was especially intellectually precocious. He was introduced to significant intellectual and political figures at an early age due to his connection with the Roman Catholic community in London. While still young, he showed a mature talent in writing poetry--”the town was fairly dazzled by the young poet’s learning, judgment and felicity of expression.” [Ency Britt] The books include a great variety of Pope's work including his most important pieces, The Dunciad, The Rape of the Lock, Part of Homer's Odysseys as well as other works and his many letters to the deans of the age.
Pope’s famous poem, The Rape of the Lock, satirizes a petty squabble by comparing it to the epic world of the gods. It is based on a true incident recounted by Pope's friend, John Caryll. Arabella Fermor and her suitor, Lord Petre, were both from aristocratic Catholic families in England. Petre, lusting after Arabella, had cut off a lock of her hair without permission, and the consequent argument had created a breach between the two households. Pope wrote the poem at the request of his friend Caryll in the hope it would point out of the inherent humor of the incident and help to diffuse the situation between the two families.
Pope first published his remarkable work, The Dunciad in 1728 in three books, with Lewis Theobald as its "hero". The poem was not signed, and he used only initials in the text to refer to the various Dunces in the kingdom of Dulness. However, "Keys" immediately came out to identify the figures mentioned in the text, and an Irish pirate edition was printed that filled in the names (sometimes inaccurately). Additionally, the men attacked by Pope also wrote angry denunciations of the poem, attacking Pope's poetry and person. Pope endured attacks from, among others, George Duckett, Thomas Burnet, and Richard Blackmore. All of these, however, were less vicious than the attack launched by Edmund Curll, a notoriously unscrupulous publisher, who produced his own pirate copy of the Dunciad with astounding swiftness, and also published "The Popiad" and a number of pamphlets attacking Pope.
In 1729, Pope published an acknowledged edition of the poem, and the Dunciad Variorum appeared in 1732. The Variorum was substantially the same text as the 1729 edition, but it now had a lengthy prolegomenon. Item #34246

3 volumes. First Edition of Each Volume, the Letters being the First Folio Edition. Illustrated with a large folding engraved portrait of Pope to Vol. I, engraved title page in each volume, title-page to the second volume in red and black, elaborately engraved pictorial head- and tail-pieces throughout Vol. II and large historiated initial letters, Vol.III with with the half-title ('The Works in Prose'); an engraved vignette to the itle-page (a portrait of Pope by J. Richardson), title printed in red and black; very fine and elaborate engraved head- and tail-pieces by William Kent. Folio, original paneled calf to each volume, all matching one another, the spine panels renewed at some time to style, with raised bands separating the compartments, elaborate gilt-work to each compartment, tan morocco lettering labels gilt. [32], 408; [16], 66, 33,72, [4], 91, [2], 18, 201, [1, Errata]; [34], 307, [1] pp. A very handsome set, the backs beautifully gilt, the covers with minimal wear, some fine restoration to the corners, generally a clean set with some typical mellowing from age, crisp and clean and very well preserved.