The Pied Piper of Hamelin

First published in 1842, this narrative poem retells the German legend of Hamelin, a town overrun by rats whose mayor hires a piper in pied clothing to lure the vermin into the river. When the corporation refuses the promised payment, the piper plays again and leads the children of the town into a hillside, leaving one lame boy behind. Browning's stanzas dwell on the crowd, the music, and the town's later regret. The poem is a verse tale of a broken bargain, not a study of medieval Hamelin and not a play.

Bound in brown moire silk with a gilt on black cover label. Gold lightweight card slipcase embossed with FS logo. Pattern printed gilt on brown endpapers. Miniature poetry series.