This is a first edition of "Gertrude Of Wyoming: A Pennsylvanian Tale. And Other Poems", written by Thomas Campbell, printed by T. Bentley and published in London by Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme in 1809. The book is based on an incident during the American Revolution, when American colonists in the Wyoming Valley, in what is now north-eastern Pennsylvania, were attacked by Tories and their Native American allies. Over 200 of the 300 Continental soldiers defending the valley were killed, and many colonists died attempting to escape or were killed during looting. Thomas Campbell (1777 - 1844) was a Scottish poet chiefly remembered for his sentimental poetry, and this is a romantic epic in Spenserian stanza composed by him. He also wrote several patriotic war songs and was one of the initiators of a plan to establish what became the University of London. The book is 3/4 bound, with five raised bands, six compartments with horizontal gilt bands and gilt lettering and "1809" in gilt on the spine, attractive marbled boards, pale blue endpapers, the front flyleaf is marked "first edition 1809" in pencil, then the title page, the dedication page to Lord Holland, the errata slip is tipped in before the dedication page and it explains that the word "Pelloch" is the Gaelic word for porpoise (page 8, line 7), followed by an Advertisement about the history of the incident at Wyoming - the author abhorred the battle - and 134 pages of text. It also has wide margins and no publisher's catalogue in the rear. The first American edition was published a couple of months later and only had 132 pages of text. See Sabin 10268. The book is 4to. and measures 11 x 8 7/8 in. wide and is in beautiful condition, with a tight binding and clean pages, except for browned edges on the title page and the last page of text. The spine is bright, with just a tad of rubbing, and there's just specks of rubbing at the tips. A fine copy for someone who is interested in American history during the Revolutionary War in Pennsylvania. #70 #1698