The Paston Letters: A New Edition: Containing upwards of four hundred letters &c. hitherto unpublished

James Gairdner, Editor

Publication Date: 1872

About this Item

Volumes include these eras of the fifteenth-century: Volume 1: Henry VI 1422-1461; Volume 2: Edward IV 1461-1471; Volume 3: Edward IV-Henry; and VII 1471-1509. The volumes are in excellent condition with strong spines and pages. There are very few, and very light, pencil notations, which are more charming than distracting. Aside from this, volume 3: pages 424-425 are discolored but still readable. It appears that a handwritten document had been enclosed and rubbed off on the page. You can see the outline of some writing but it is not legible, at least not to me. (Once this book is in your hands, perhaps you will have success reading the message.). Page 127, in volume 2, has a very small tear. On the paste-down of volume 1, there is a small bookseller sticker for B.H. Blackwell, Bookseller 50 & 51 Broad St., Oxford. The Paston letters represent the correspondences y a family of Norfolk landed gentry to friends and business associates. The correspondence covers domestic issues, legal transactions, business affairs, and other interactions of everyday life. In addition to its value as social history, it also represents the transition from Middle English to Early Modern English. (The letters in this edition have not been translated into Modern English.) The Gairdner edition remained the standard edition for these letters until 1971-1976 when Norman Davis created a new version that included additional letters. [Source for background information: A Medieval Family: The Pastons of Fifteenth-Century England by Frances and Joseph Gies.]Additional postage may be needed to ship. If so, you will receive a notice (after you place your order) requesting your approval.

Seller Inventory # NFC260927001

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Paston Letters: A New Edition: Containing upwards of four hundred letters &c. hitherto unpublished
• Publication Date: 1872
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 64 ounces
• Seller catalogs:
  • Nonfiction