Amanda Swan 

Rare Books and Prints

incorporating Adnax Publications

Ballet

folio of 15 photogravures of the Russian ballet by E.O.Hoppé

Architecture

Part of the title page for John James' translation of Claude Perrault's work on the Five Orders of Columns.

Fine art

Detail from one of Wenceslaus Hollar's engravings of Windsor Castle.

Featured book: 

Sir Walter Ralegh (Raleigh)

The History of the World

Ralegh wrote this book whilst imprisoned in the Tower of London. Rather sadly, he writes at the end of this volume

'..whereas this Booke, by the title it hath, calls it selfe, The first part of the Generall Historie of the World, implying a Second and Third Volume; which I also intended, and have hewne out; besides many other discouragements, perswading my silence; it hath pleased God to take that glorious Prince out of the world, to whom they were directed; whose unspeakeable and never enough lamented losse, hath taught mee to say with Iob, Versa est in Luctum Cithara mea, & Organum meum in vocem flentium.'

The Prince referred to was Henry, eldest son of James I, who died in 1612.

'Henry probably began visiting Ralegh -- then imprisoned in the Tower of London by James I (“No one but my father would keep such a bird in a cage,” was Henry’s dissenting opinion concerning this action of his father’s) -- about 1607, when Henry was 13 years of age. Ralegh not only advised the prince in person during these visits, but also wrote several treatises for Henry to peruse, including A Discourse of the Invention of Ships, Anchor, Compass, etc., Observations on the Royal Navy and Sea Service, The Art of War by Sea, On a Marriage between Prince Henry and a Daughter of Savoy (here Ralegh advised that Henry remain single for the time being, then later think about marrying the King of France’s daughter, not the “Daughter of Savoy” as James I was recommending), On a Match between the Lady Elizabeth and the Prince of Piedmont (again, Ralegh counselled here that Henry’s sister marry a Protestant prince, such as the Prince Palatine of the Rhine, not “the Prince of Piedmont” recommended by James I), and The History of the World (on which Ralegh promptly ceased work when Henry died, publishing anonymously in 1614 the 5 books he had completed by that point, and just leaving the rest, “a second and third volume, which I also intended, and have hewn out” but was too melancholy to write: “My harp is also turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.”).' John Winton, Sir Walter Ralegh (1975)

As mentioned above, the book was first printed in 1614. The present edition bears the date 1621 

and was printed by William Jaggard for Walter Burre. 

'William Jaggard (c1568-1623) was an Elizabethan and Jacobean printer and publisher, best known for his connection with the texts of William Shakespeare, most notably the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays.....in the period 1621–3 he and his son and successor Isaac Jaggard were occupied, along with bookseller Edward Blount, on the massive task of bringing the First Folio into print.' (Wikipedia)

In fact this edition of the History has several things in common with the First Folio: most notably the decorative band

used at the beginnings of the books is the same as that used on the First Folio, as is the cul de lampe used at the end of each book.

The use of decorated capitals at the beginning of sections is also very similar. But these similarities are hardly surprising when it is realised that the two books were probably going through the press at the same time.

more information