Guy's Porridge Pot: A Poem, in Twenty-Four Books . . . [Bound with:] The Dun Cow; An Hyper-Satirical Dialogue, in Verse. With Explanatory Notes . . . [Bound with:] Guy's Porridge Pot; With the Dun Cow Roasted Whole: An Epic Poem, in Twenty-Five Books

London: Printed for the Author, 1808; London: Printed by W. and T. Darton, 1808; London: Printed for the Author, 1809, 1808. First editions of the first two titles; second edition of the third. NCBEL III, 387; Wise and Wheeler, pages 30-32; Partridge, Robert Eyres Landor, His Life and Work, pages 32-35. Binding and label a little rubbed; very good copy.. 3 vols in 1, 12mo and 8vo, 19th century half vellum, marbled paper boards and matching endpapers, red morocco spine label, gilt decorations and lettering. Second volume without half-title; otherwise with half-titles as called for; volumes one and three with the corriendas; volume three with the terminal leaf "To a Certain Provincial Bookseller.". In 1808, Robert Eyres Landor (1781-1869), the younger brother of Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864), did as many young aspiring and struggling writers have done and sharpened his developing literary pen with an anonymous poetical satire. His target was the influential literary figure Samuel Parr and his circle, and the legend of Guy of Warwick and his pot of porridge was the central metaphor. Both Landor and Parr were residents of Warwickshire. Soon after it was issued, Guy's Porridge Pot was attributed to Walter Savage Landor, who was offended at the attribution for he was a friend of Parr and greatly respected him. W. S. Landor wrote an anonymous biting response, The Dun Cow; An Hyper-Satirical Dialogue, in Verse. With Explanatory Notes, which he apparently was not aware he was directing at his brother, who responded in turn with his significantly amended Guy's Porridge Pot; With the Dun Cow Roasted Whole, in which he answered many of the criticisms directed, mostly by his brother, at his first edition. This is a rare example of the three works bound together; the second edition of Guy's Porridge Pot is a relatively common book; but its first edition is very scarce; and The Dun Cow is a rare book, with only few copies recorded in COPAC and OCLC. An early owner of this volume was obviously acquainted with the main characters and made about 30 annotations in pencil in the margins and footnotes, identifying many, among them Parr, Greatheed, Guy of Warwick, Webbe, Hatten, Eyre, Willis, and Morley. See the ODNB for Parr and both Landors.