{"product_id":"the-traveller-and-the-deserted-village","title":"The Traveller and The Deserted Village in Miniature","description":"\u003cp\u003e6j Oliver Goldsmith. London: George G Harrap \u0026amp; Co., ca. 1910.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"189\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"15\"\u003eThe Traveller\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"20\" data-end=\"42\"\u003eThe Deserted Village\u003c\/em\u003e are two notable poems by the English poet Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774), both reflecting his concern with human experience and social change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"191\" data-end=\"500\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"191\" data-end=\"206\"\u003eThe Traveller\u003c\/em\u003e, published in 1764, is a philosophical poem in heroic couplets that contrasts the conditions of various nations, exploring themes of government, wealth, and the sources of human happiness, ultimately suggesting that contentment depends more on virtue and moderation than on riches or luxury.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"502\" data-end=\"992\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"502\" data-end=\"524\"\u003eThe Deserted Village\u003c\/em\u003e (1770) laments the depopulation of rural villages in England due to economic changes and the enclosure of common lands. In a nostalgic and elegiac tone, Goldsmith mourns the loss of simple village life, pastoral innocence, and community bonds, highlighting the social costs of progress and modernization. Together, these works combine moral reflection, social critique, and lyrical sensitivity, and they were widely admired in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMiniature books grew especially popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when improvements in printing, paper quality, and typesetting made it possible to produce readable texts at very small sizes. Their appeal blended novelty, craftsmanship, and collectability: readers enjoyed the surprise of fully functional books small enough to fit in a pocket, while collectors prized the fine bindings, gilt lettering, and clever design challenges they represented. Miniature volumes were often given as gifts or souvenirs and frequently featured well-known classics, poetry, or religious texts, since familiar works lent themselves well to abbreviated or compact formats. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMiniature. Brown suede binding. Gilt lettering on spine. Fading to spine. Fine condition. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Moons Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56178371362982,"sku":null,"price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0173\/6563\/1040\/files\/9499ABB0-F6A6-4C48-A8CF-FE6A10CC9875.jpg?v=1771007371","url":"https:\/\/moons-rare-books.myshopify.com\/products\/the-traveller-and-the-deserted-village","provider":"Moons Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}