Almoran and Hamet: An Oriental Tale

London: Printed for H. Payne, and W. Cropley, at Dryden's Head in Pater-noster Row. 1761. FIRST EDITION. 2 volumes. Small 8vo, 157 x 95 mms., pp. vii (misfolded), 146 [147 Errata, 148 blank]; [iv], 156, contemporary calf, with darkened red and black labels; front joint volume 1 cracked and tender, front joint volume 2 amateurishly repaired, slight wear to extremities. John Hawkesworth (1720 - 1773) published this very popular work in 1761. It was written originally as a drama for produciion by David Garrick, but was transformed into narrative fiction when Garrick became concerned about production costs. An obvious model for the work was Samuel Johnson's Rasselas, but with genies and magic spells it is indeed a rather different work. Karina Williamson in her Oxford DNB entry recalls that "Comparing the two, Thomas Percy thought Johnson superior 'in style, and in having confined his narrative within the Limits of possibility', but Hawkesworth 'contrived to interest his readers more, by introducing a very pleasing Love-Story'." The Critical Review commented: "The piece before us is the performance of a gentleman, who has often agreeably entertained the public, and always made amusement subservient to the best purposes of humanity. This tale, which is dedicated, by permission, to the King abounds with sentiment, and teems with moral as well as political instruction."