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First edition, first issue, with the Rare Errata leaf at the end. With the engraved title-page and the "Minde of the Front.[ispiece]" leaf, and 8 double-page plates and maps as issued. Folio, very handsomely bound in full antique mottled calf, the spine panel fully gilt, with raised bands separating the compartments which are elaborately decorated with full multi-tooled panels incorporating a number of tools, all gilt, and with a red morocco lettering label gilt, the covers with double gilt fillet rules at the borders, binding edges gilt tooled Collation: [2ff.] [40, A-B4 Preface], [40, a-d2, Contents of the Chapters], 1-651, [1]; [2 blank], 1-776; [2, To the Reader], [24, A Chronological Table], [16, An Alphabeticall Table.of the First and Second Bookes], [16, An Alphaeticall Table .of the Third, Fourth and Fift Bookes], [1, Errata], [1, Colophon] pp. A very handsome copy in full antique mottled calf, the hinges and portions of the tips or edges refurbished imperceptibly in an expert, unobtrusive and sympathetic manner at an early date , the text-block large and barely trimmed, opening leaves with some expert refurbishment and strengthening at the edges, the Preface and a few other leaves remargined or re-edged expertly at an early date and not affecting the text, a clean, crisp and fine copy, with the covers well preserved and the spine panel beautifully accomplished and expertly restored. Rare in such an early binding. RARE FIRST EDITION OF RALEIGH'S MASSIVE TOME AND A CORNERSTONE WORK IN HISTORIOGRAPHY. ONE OF THE GREAT BOOKS PRINTED IN ENGLAND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 1600's. This is the only volume published of the massive history Raleigh planned and began while in the Tower of London after the accession of James I. This is the earlier of the two editions having the colophon dated 1614, with the errata uncorrected. It was rigidly suppressed by order of King James I, but nevertheless passed through several editions. The engraved title was not issued with the second edition, which appeared in 1617, a printed title having a portrait of Raleigh taking its place. A reissue of the second edition appeared in 1621, and later editions in 1624, 1628, 1666, and 1684, 1687 and throughout the 18th century. While most of Raleigh's prose works up to then had been written for private circulation[.] the HISTORY was intended for publication to a wide audience. Raleigh began writing it about 1607, the work was entered in the Stationers' register in 1611 and appeared towards the end of 1614. The Preface was suppressed by George Abbot, archbishop of Canterbury, on 22 December and copies were seized by the kings' agents for his own use. According to Chamberlain the suppression came about because it was "too sawcie in censuring princes" [.] The suppression order was soon lifted and the History was reprinted in 1617. It remained popular: there were at least eleven editions in the seventeenth century, one in the eighteenth, and one in the nineteenth. Raleigh was one of the principal figures of the English Renaissance. As well as being a poet of wide repute and a successful soldier, he was one of the earliest explorers of the New World (one of its cities still bears his name). This ambitious book, which Raleigh worked on with the help of several assistants, ostensibly deals with Greek, Egyptian, and biblical history up to 168 B.C., but the preface summarizes modern European history and represents one of the earliest English views of the world and its history. It has become a classic of English Renassaince literature. The History is described as "The first part of the general history of the world", implying, as Ralegh said, that other parts were to come. This, he admitted, was his intention and indeed he had "hewn them out". What exists is a substantial work, of about a million words, in five books, running from the creation of the world to 146 B.C., the time of the second Macedonian war. The first two books are principally, though not wholly, conc. Seller Inventory # 31370
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