The National Distress, with its remedies, Real and Imaginary, Examined in Three Letters to the Mechanics and Artisans of Birmingham

London / Birmingham: Longman And Co, Paternoster Row / J Drake, New Street, Birmingham, ND. First edition. Pamphlet. Very Good. pp. 80, + fold-out table, Expenditure of a Working Man. Disbound slim pamphlet in very good condition, some fraying around spine, some turning to a few page corners at bottom, but a clean, firm copy with sound binding. The TP lists Frederick Hill as the author, not Frederic as he was baptised. Hill was one of the most notable Victorian prison reformers and politically involved throughout his career, including working towards the Reform Bill of 1832. The pamphlet would have been written just prior to Hill joining the Birmingham Political Union, which campaigned for the extension of the vote. His brother Rowland, inventor of the postage stamp, had an equally illustrious career. To tp, in a Victorian hand, in pencil, 'First Composition in print by Frederic Hill' and in ink, the date 1828. The date is notable, as there is no date to the TP and the BL - and other holdings - state the likely date of publication as 1830. Extremely scarce, COPAC records only four copies in the UK. A fascinating insight into political issues of the time as they applied to skilled workers in Hill's home city.