A Way To Get Wealth: Containing sixe Principall Vocations or Callings, in which every good Husband or House-wife may lawfully imploy themselves

4to.six vols in one. pp. [xxviii], 132, 135-188, [ii] [last blank]; [viii], 118, [ii] [without last blank]; [xii], 252 [first blank]; [iv], 24 [bound out of order, quires A and B inverted}; [xii], 32, 23-158; [viii], 133, [i]. Roman Letter, some Italic. woodcut illustrations, woodcut initials, head and tail-pieces, typographical ornaments. Inscription to front endpaper “Mr. William Priore of the .of Hereford Meer is the true owner of this book parchased him 7/8 , May 26 1641”, another on verso: “Mr. William Priore is my nam if you me find Restor this sam…, 1646”, bookplate of the Bibliothecca Piscatoria Lynniana on pastedown, Bibliotheca Tiliana below, their discreet inkstamp to verso of title. Light age yellowing, general title with a few spots, larger at end of this ‘Country contentments’, on a few leaves of ‘the English House-wife’, and last four leaves, occasional mark or minor stains to blank margins, the odd thumb mark. Generally a very good and unsophisticated copy, crisp and clean in contemporary calf, covers bordered with a triple blind rule, spine double blind ruled in compartments, restored at head and tail, a little rubbed, a.e.r. An important collection of Markham’s best works on husbandry in the most complete editions. Markham’s Farewell to Husbandry is an important and innovative agricultural work on the preparation and improvement of soils and on arable farming generally. The work also deals with the preservation of grains and pulses, including a section on the best grain to take to sea (which he concludes is rice). It also contains two chapters at the end on the husbandry of cattle for ploughing. “In the pamphlet, ’The inrichment of the weald of Kent’ of 1625, the Author advocated a systematic program for improving the productivity of the ‘unapt’ soils of the region. The English housewife contains a huge variety of detailed recipes and information, the majority concerning the preparation of food and drink, with smaller sections on medicine ,household remedies and weaving. There are many concerning childbirth, and cosmetics, with a very interesting section at the end on how to make various oils, such as oil of lavender and camomile, for such things as “to make smooth hands”. The next and most substantial chapter in on cookery, starting with a description of how to maintain a garden to supply the kitchen. Many of the recipes are for classics of English cookery. The work then moves on to distillation and the making of many “aqua-vitae” and various “waters”, and concludes with a section on perfumes. Then comes a short chapter on the keeping and preserving of wine, including a description of ‘Burdeaux’ and ‘Renish’ wines. A short chapter on weaving and dying of wool is followed by dairy work and the making of a whole variety of cheeses and butter, Malt and bread making and finishes with how to brew beer, ales, cider and perry. The final work is the beautifully illustrated work on gardening, the only published work of William Lawson, all early editions of which are now rare. “Within a small compass he provides sound instruction for ‘planting, grafting as to make any ground good, for a rich Orchard’ particularly in the north. The section entitled ‘the County Houswife’s Garden’ is valuable for its attention to the essential role of women in the rural household, as cooks, nurturers of fine flowers and keepers of the herbal medicine cupboard. Also appended, is Simon Harwood’s short treatise on the art of propagating plants and another, on how to increase the yield from a wide selection of fruits. “Many books on agriculture and gardening were published during the century, but from the historical point of view the most important are those of Markham.” Anne Wilbraham ‘The Englishman’s Food: Five Centuries of English Diet’. ESTC S112152; Kress 688; STC 17397. Hull ‘Chaste, silent and Obedient’ pp. 185-6 “The English housewife”.…