I. D’Israeli - Romances [First Edition] - 1799

A genuinely rare and historically significant FIRST EDITION of Romances (1799) by Isaac D’Israeli (I. D’Israeli) — one of the most important Anglo-Jewish literary figures of the late 18th century, and father of Benjamin Disraeli, future Prime Minister of Great Britain.

This early work represents D’Israeli at the beginning of his literary career, combining orientalist imagination, romantic prose, and early literary criticism in a form that would later influence both English Romanticism and his son’s writing.

The volume opens with a Poetical Essay on Romance and Romancers, followed by three prose romances:
• Mejnoun and Leila, the Arabian Petrarch and Laura
• Love and Humility, a Roman Romance
• The Lovers, or the Origin of the Fine Arts

The “Mejnoun and Leila” narrative reflects the Orientalist tradition influenced by Sir William Jones, blending Eastern themes with European literary sensibility — a hallmark of late 18th-century intellectual culture.

Bibliographic Details
• Author: Isaac D’Israeli
• Title: Romances
• Edition: First Edition
• Place: London
• Publishers: Cadell & Davies; Murray & Highley; J. Harding; J. Wright
• Year: 1799
• Format: Small octavo (approx. 17 x 11.5 cm)
• Pagination: [4], xix, [5], 314 pp.

Binding
• Contemporary full leather binding
• Original structure preserved


Condition
• Binding worn, with rubbing and edge wear
• Corners softened
• Frontispiece engraving missing
• Lacks final printer’s advertisement leaf (as noted in some bibliographies)
• Interior: generally good, with age toning, occasional staining
• Old ownership inscriptions present

Why This Copy Matters
• Scarce first edition of an important Anglo-Jewish author
• Direct connection to Benjamin Disraeli, one of the most influential figures in British political history
• Early example of Orientalist literature in English
• Increasingly sought-after in both literary and Judaica collecting fields