4to, FIRST EDITION, UNCUT AND UNSTITCHED IN TWO FOLDED SHEETS, half-title, brown cloth collector's chemise, damp damage to chemise

Pottle 72; Rothschild 460; Tinker 337

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This bawdy parodic ode was written by James Boswell at Sir Joshua Reynolds's on 12 April 1781, the day after the funeral of Hester Thrale's husband. It reveals that Johnson's biographer was not always reverential towards his subject and, like many of his friends, was happy to make Johnson the butt of ribald humour. The preface quotes from Hester (Thrale) Piozzi's edition of Johnson's letters, which was only published in 1788, confirming that the date of publication on the title page is spurious. This copy, like other surviving copies in uncut sheets, was presumably from the bundle of loose sheets, "the greater part [...] injured by dirt and damp", that came from Auchinleck House and were discovered by a Glasgow bookseller in 1825 (see Rothschild).