Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-06
QUERY ON BOOK?

Now I have a "bit of clearing"
would like to have you do for me
1t concerns book of poems which
carries the title Female Poets of
America" by Rufus w. Griswold,
with additions by r. H. Stoddard.
1t is treasure" Of poems and was
given to me by my paternal grand
parents when I was quite young.
They passed away over Is years ago
and to the best Of my remembrance
had had this book some time be-
fore then. My father said he had
seen and read it many times and
I find his name penciled on the
back (inside) cover. What I want
to know is when Volume III of
The Female Poets Of America" was
published. It carries the above on
the fly leaf as well as part Of a
poem by Anne Bradstreet, Boston,
1910. There is also the notation,
Carefully revised, much enlarged,
and continued to the present time"
printed below Anne Bradstreet's
poem, THE Four Elements" one
verse. Then Volume III" with New
York, P. F. Collier, Publisher. Il
hesitate In writing P. F.. Collier,
thinking some of your readers
might recognize this particular edi-
ton. In the first preface there is
much comment on the volume of
1884 in which several errors were
found later.
A second preface begins Nearly
twenty-five years have passed
since the first publication OF
The Female Poets of America of
which new and enlarged edition is
here presented to the reader. Many
who figured in its pages then have
passed away, and others who re-
main have passed out of the re-
remembrance of their contempo-
raries." Each preface is lengthy, but
interesting. Mr.. Stoddard, who gives
the second preface" has quite
lengthy dissertations concerning
woman poets. At the end of second
preface Mr.. Stoddard thanks the
ladies for their selections for this
volume and also thanks to ]. r.
Osgood & Co. by whom the greater
number were published.
AS this book is large and contains
1876 pages of poetry, each set giving
a biography of the poetess whose
works, in part, follow, I would surely
not dare to have their artistic
selves" set up in print. Many of
these persons are given such inter-
esting biographies. and lengthy as
well. One is especially different, as
she is one Phillis Wheatley Peters,
a daughter of the murky Senegal
as she was styled by an admiring
critic. She was brought to the Bos-
ton slave market when but years
old, in 1851, and was purchased by
the wife of John Wheatley, who
was anxious to superintend the ed
ucation of domestic to attend upon
her person in the approaching old
age. Phillis went to England because
of her indifferent constitution" in
the year 1772. In England she was
treated with nearly as much con-
sideration as more recently has been
awarded to Frederic Douglass. She
was introduced to many of the
nobility. Many of her poems were
published under the patronage of
the Countess of Huntingdon with a
letter from her master, and added to
the letter was a curious atteStation
of their genuineness. This attesta-
ton is signed by His Excellency
Thomas Hutchinson, Governor; the
Honorable Andrew Oliver, Lieuten-
ant Governor, and Is more sigma
lures by prominent men of that day.
She returned to the States in 1773,
and in 1774 her mistress died, and
from there on there is much inter-
esting data. Her death occurred De-
cember S, 1894. This book shows
copy Of a letter she received from
George Washington after she had
made notice" of him in her poetry.
His letter bears date of February
%, 1776, from Cambridge. Her list
of poems in this volume carries a
poem "On the Death of the Rev. Mr..
George Whitfield, 1770," "A Farewell
to America" and Fancy" 1 believe
this layout was being brought to-
gether for publication in the 1840s,
as in Hannah Gould's biography
there is mention, The first volume
she published came out in 1882, the
second in 1885 and the third in l84l,
and a new edition, embracing many
new poems, is now t1848) in prepa-
ration"
Please forgive me for having dwelt
on this publication SO long, but was
attempting to point out few points
to see If you could give me date as
to when this Volumn III was pub
lished.