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Britannia: Or, A Chorographical Description of Great Britain and Ireland, Together with the Adjacent Islands. Written in Latin By William Camden, Clarenceux, King at Arms: And Translated into English, with Additions and Improvements. The Second Edition. Revised, Digested, and Published, with large Additions, By Edmund Gibson, D.D., Rector of Lambeth; and now Bishop of Lincoln, and Dean of His Majesty s Chapel-Royal. Complete set in Two Volumes; continuous pagination: [66] pp, cclxviii columns, [2] pp, 696 columns; 697 - 1526 columns, [176] pp (Appendices, Index, & Errata), copper-engraved frontis of Wm. Camden, 10 full-page plates of coins, 51 folding or double-page b&w maps. Cambridge style leather boards (19th C, possibly original) with contemporary leather spine & title labels. 15 x 10 , fos. In fair condition. Cambridge style boards normally scuffed at edges; exposed corners have been repaired with modern leather, but corners remain bumped. Heads and tails of modern spines lightly rubbed; gilt title label remains bright and clean. Modern front paste-down exhibits a window to original paste-down, exposing ownership signature: William Howard. Text-blocks slightly wrinkled from normal age-related wear. Title pages exhibits red & black ink. Normal toning throughout text-block; mostly at edges of leaves with some instances of age-staining. Fold-out maps have been reinforced at hinges with modern paper. All maps intact. A complete work in two volumes. Modern bindings tight and intact. Please see photos and ask questions, if any, before purchasing. William Camden (1551 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of Britannia, the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Annales, the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England. Britannia is a county-by-county description of Great Britain and Ireland. It is a work of chorography: a study that relates landscape, geography, antiquarianism, and history. Rather than write a history, Camden wanted to describe in detail the Great Britain of the present, and to show how the traces of the past could be discerned in the existing landscape. By this method, he produced the first coherent picture of Roman Britain. He continued to collect materials and to revise and expand Britannia throughout his life. He drew on the published and unpublished work of John Leland and William Lambarde, among others, and received the assistance of a large network of correspondents with similar interests. He also travelled throughout Great Britain to view documents, sites, and artifacts for himself: he is known to have visited East Anglia in 1578, Yorkshire and Lancashire in 1582, Devon in 1589, Wales in 1590, Salisbury, Wells and Oxford in 1596, and Carlisle and Hadrian's Wall in 1599. His fieldwork and firsthand research set new standards for the time. He even learned Welsh and Old English for the task: his tutor in Old English was Laurence Nowell. In 1593 Camden became headmaster of Westminster School. He held the post for four years, but left when he was appointed Clarenceux King of Arms. By this time, largely because of the Britannia's reputation, he was a well-known and revered figure, and the appointment was meant to free him from the labour of teaching and to facilitate his research. The College of Arms at that time was not only a centre of genealogical and heraldic study, but also a centre of antiquarian study. His stated intention for Britannia was to "restore antiquity to Britaine, and Britain to his antiquity". The first edition, written in Latin, was published in 1586. Edmund Gibson (1669 1748) was a British divine who served as Bishop of Lincoln and Bishop of London, jurist, and antiquary. In 1692 Gibson published an edition of the Saxon Chronicle with a Latin translation, indices and notes, and later a similar translation of the Lindsey Chronicle. These were followed in 1693 by a. Seller Inventory # RAREB1722TYZC
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