THE WORKS OF APHRA BEHN by BEHN, Aphra - 1915

London: A.H. Bullen for William Heinemann, 1915. Hardcover. Very good. 6 volumes. 8vo (19.3 cm, 7.6"). lxiii, 458 pp.; 442 pp.; 498 pp.; 422 pp.; 524 pp.; 452 pp. Edited by Montague Summers.

First collected edition stated; limited edition #663 of 760. Aphra Behn (1640-1689) spied for Charles II in the Dutch war; however, her pay withheld, she was imprisoned for debt. Upon release, Behn was highly prolific as the first Englishwoman to become a professional author. She wrote plays, poetry, novels, translations of Ovid and Sappho among others, songs, and many pamphlets. A popular author, Behn's writings were well-paced with wit and addressed issues such as misogyny, arranged marriage, female passion, empowered women, and racism. Behn was buried in Poet's Corner, Westminster Abbey.

NCBEL Vol. 2, 984. Blain, Feminist Companion. OCEL 111. DNB. Wayward Women p. 128. Kunitz & Haycraft 35-37. Green cloth-backed boards with paper label to spine. End Vol. I-VI edges largely untrimmed. Drama-themed bookplate of Ellen B. Ballou to pastedowns. Vol. I crown with gap; tails creased, spines sunned, labels chipped, boards with minor stains; corners worn; pages lightly toned, free endpapers show paste action. The limited first collected edition of an important author.