HIGDEN, RANULPHUS. Polycronycon [translated by John de Trevisa]. Southwark: Peter Treveris for John Reynes 1527. Folio, 277 x 180 mm. (10 7/8 x 7 1/8 in.), nineteenth-century olive morocco, covers tooled in gilt and blind to a panel design with central gilt arabesque cartouche, spine gilt in six compartments, the second gilt-lettered, turn-ins gilt-ruled, g.e., by Andrew Grieve of Edinburgh, rubbed, spine faded to brown, inner hinges cracked, lacking hh6 blank, neat marginal repairs to title, one affecting tip of woodcut crown, printer's device at bottom cropped, fols. aa2-4, b1, L8, and X8 (colophon leaf) with expertly repaired internal tears, all affected areas touched up in ink facsimile, lower and inner margins of aa2 and outer margin of colophon leaf renewed, short internal tears or small holes to 5 or 6 leaves, occasional discreet marginal repairs, border of woodcut on z6v and approximately 6 shoulder-headings shaved, 2 to 3 small filled wormholes through last 6 quires, scattered letters or words rubbed out by an early reader in order to "modernize" spelling or as censorship, most frequently in quires r-t (occasionally causing small perforations), washed and pressed, a few small stains subsisting, a few leaves pale from excessive washing. Third edition, first edition with these woodcuts, black letter, double column, xylographic title printed in red between two parts of large woodcut block printed in black and red (Hodnett 2489, state 2), upper portion showing royal arms, portrait of Henry VIII, and arms of London, larger lower portion depicting St. George, this block printed in its original undivided state on X8r (Hodnett state 1), full-page woodcut of a battle on z6v (Hodnett 2491), 6 smaller woodcuts in text (Hodnett 2490, 2492-6), one repeated, woodcut musical notation on n5r, variety of 10-line and smaller woodcut initials.Third edition of one the most important early pieces of English historical prose. Higden's universal history, covering the Creation to 1360 A.D., was translated by John de Trevisa (1326-1412), Vicar of Berkeley, who added a few brief notes and a continuation. Grolier Langland to Wither 144; Pforzheimer 490; STC 13440.Provenance: Thomas Lawton, early signature on verso of penultimate leaf, repeated with pen trials on colophon leaf, scattered contemporary and slightly later marginal notes (some cropped, others rendered illegible from washing) -- Lucius Wilmerding, bookplate (sale, Parke-Bernet, 27 November 1950, lot 368).

HIGDEN, RANULPHUS. Polycronycon [translated by John de Trevisa]. Southwark: Peter Treveris for John Reynes 1527. Folio, 277 x 180 mm. (10 7/8 x 7 1/8 in.), nineteenth-century olive morocco, covers tooled in gilt and blind to a panel design with central gilt arabesque cartouche, spine gilt in six compartments, the second gilt-lettered, turn-ins gilt-ruled, g.e., by Andrew Grieve of Edinburgh, rubbed, spine faded to brown, inner hinges cracked, lacking hh6 blank, neat marginal repairs to title, one affecting tip of woodcut crown, printer's device at bottom cropped, fols. aa2-4, b1, L8, and X8 (colophon leaf) with expertly repaired internal tears, all affected areas touched up in ink facsimile, lower and inner margins of aa2 and outer margin of colophon leaf renewed, short internal tears or small holes to 5 or 6 leaves, occasional discreet marginal repairs, border of woodcut on z6v and approximately 6 shoulder-headings shaved, 2 to 3 small filled wormholes through last 6 quires, scattered letters or words rubbed out by an early reader in order to "modernize" spelling or as censorship, most frequently in quires r-t (occasionally causing small perforations), washed and pressed, a few small stains subsisting, a few leaves pale from excessive washing. Third edition, first edition with these woodcuts, black letter, double column, xylographic title printed in red between two parts of large woodcut block printed in black and red (Hodnett 2489, state 2), upper portion showing royal arms, portrait of Henry VIII, and arms of London, larger lower portion depicting St. George, this block printed in its original undivided state on X8r (Hodnett state 1), full-page woodcut of a battle on z6v (Hodnett 2491), 6 smaller woodcuts in text (Hodnett 2490, 2492-6), one repeated, woodcut musical notation on n5r, variety of 10-line and smaller woodcut initials. Third edition of one the most important early pieces of English historical prose. Higden's universal history, covering the Creation to 1360 A.D., was translated by John de Trevisa (1326-1412), Vicar of Berkeley, who added a few brief notes and a continuation. Grolier Langland to Wither 144; Pforzheimer 490; STC 13440. Provenance: Thomas Lawton, early signature on verso of penultimate leaf, repeated with pen trials on colophon leaf, scattered contemporary and slightly later marginal notes (some cropped, others rendered illegible from washing) -- Lucius Wilmerding, bookplate (sale, Parke-Bernet, 27 November 1950, lot 368).

Details

HIGDEN, RANULPHUS. Polycronycon [translated by John de Trevisa]. Southwark: Peter Treveris for John Reynes 1527. Folio, 277 x 180 mm. (10 7/8 x 7 1/8 in.), nineteenth-century olive morocco, covers tooled in gilt and blind to a panel design with central gilt arabesque cartouche, spine gilt in six compartments, the second gilt-lettered, turn-ins gilt-ruled, g.e., by Andrew Grieve of Edinburgh, rubbed, spine faded to brown, inner hinges cracked, lacking hh6 blank, neat marginal repairs to title, one affecting tip of woodcut crown, printer's device at bottom cropped, fols. aa2-4, b1, L8, and X8 (colophon leaf) with expertly repaired internal tears, all affected areas touched up in ink facsimile, lower and inner margins of aa2 and outer margin of colophon leaf renewed, short internal tears or small holes to 5 or 6 leaves, occasional discreet marginal repairs, border of woodcut on z6v and approximately 6 shoulder-headings shaved, 2 to 3 small filled wormholes through last 6 quires, scattered letters or words rubbed out by an early reader in order to "modernize" spelling or as censorship, most frequently in quires r-t (occasionally causing small perforations), washed and pressed, a few small stains subsisting, a few leaves pale from excessive washing. Third edition, first edition with these woodcuts, black letter, double column, xylographic title printed in red between two parts of large woodcut block printed in black and red (Hodnett 2489, state 2), upper portion showing royal arms, portrait of Henry VIII, and arms of London, larger lower portion depicting St. George, this block printed in its original undivided state on X8r (Hodnett state 1), full-page woodcut of a battle on z6v (Hodnett 2491), 6 smaller woodcuts in text (Hodnett 2490, 2492-6), one repeated, woodcut musical notation on n5r, variety of 10-line and smaller woodcut initials.

Third edition of one the most important early pieces of English historical prose. Higden's universal history, covering the Creation to 1360 A.D., was translated by John de Trevisa (1326-1412), Vicar of Berkeley, who added a few brief notes and a continuation. Grolier Langland to Wither 144; Pforzheimer 490; STC 13440.

Provenance: Thomas Lawton, early signature on verso of penultimate leaf, repeated with pen trials on colophon leaf, scattered contemporary and slightly later marginal notes (some cropped, others rendered illegible from washing) -- Lucius Wilmerding, bookplate (sale, Parke-Bernet, 27 November 1950, lot 368).