A POETICAL DESCANT ON THE PRIMEVAL AND PRESENT STATE OF MANKIND; OR, THE PILGRIM'S MUSE by Thomas, Joseph - 1816

Winchester, VA: J. Foster, Printer, 1816. vii,[1],9-219,[1]pp. 16mo (signed in 8s). Contemporary (or original) calf. A weary copy, somewhat foxed and with scattered tidemarks, stains and a number of ink squiggles and spots (occasionally obscuring some text), a few leaves trimmed askew costing some letters, two leaves have clean horizontal tears (with no loss), leaves C4 through C7 have a thumb- tip size section torn from fore-edges, costing some text; withal a fair, reasonably sound copy of a scarce and obscurely published book. Enclosed in a lovely cloth clamshell box with printed spine label. First edition of the major poetic accomplishment by Thomas (1791-1835), regarded by many, including Cotton, as the first native-born North Carolina poet. Struck at a young age with a religious fervor that led him through several sects insufficient in zeal to harbor his passions, Thomas was finally baptized and licensed to preach in the Christian Church at the age of 17. He traveled widely with his wife, and after a revelation in 1814, he disposed of all his "fashionable clothing" and thenceforth dressed only in white, from whence was derived his nickname, the "White Pilgrim." During his travels in the east, he was exposed to and contracted small-pox, from which he died in the home of a New Jersey Elder. Commenting on Thomas's autobiography, Howes notes that he was "a frontier gospel ranter who vied with Lorenzo Dow in wander lust and eccentricity. In two years he traveled 7000 miles through Tenn., Ky. and Ohio." Thomas was, in turn, the subject of two poems by John Ellis, both of which were set to music and served as widely popular hymns in the 19th century. In 1963 Doc Watson recorded a version, and that, in turn, inspired a version by Bob Dylan, included in his 1993 album, WORLD GONE WRONG. While not a rare book in an absolute sense (OCLC/Worldcat locates 20 copies), it is scarce in commerce. STODDARD & WHITESELL 1148. WEGELIN 1168. Cotton, HOUSED ON THE THIRD FLOOR, pp. 37-8. SABIN 93639. SHAW & SHOEMAKER 38666. HOWES T176(ref).