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CHAUCER, Geoffrey Workes of Geffrey Chaucer, The 1561

Rare First Issue of the 1561 Chaucer,with Twenty-Two Woodcuts in The Prologues CHAUCER, Ge[o]ffrey. The workes of Geffrey Chaucer, newlie printed, with divers addicions, whiche were never in print before: With the siege and destruccion of the worthy Citee of Thebes, compiled by Jhon Lidgate, Monke of Berie. As in the table more plainly doeth appere. [London: Imprinted by Jhon Kyngston, for Jhon Wight], 1561.Fifth collected edition, first issue, with twenty-two woodcuts in The Prologues, taken from the blocks used by Pynson in his 1492 and 1526 editions of the Canterbury Tales. Edited by John Stowe. Folio (12 1/8 x 8 7/16 inches; 311 x 214 mm.). [14], ccclxxviii leaves (irregular foliation). Title within woodcut border, the top of which represents a king (probably Edward VI) in council, with Grafton s device supported by two cherubs below (McKerrow & Ferguson 67). Divisional titles to The Caunterburie tales and The Romaunt of the Rose each within a woodcut border showing the genealogy of the Houses of York and Lancaster down to Henry VIII (McKerrow & Ferguson 75), twenty-two woodcuts of the Pilgrims in The Prologues, and woodcut of a knight on a horse at the head of The knightes tale. Large and small historiated and decorative initials and other ornaments. Black letter. Fifty-six lines, double columns. Early twentieth-century antique-style dark brown calf, expertly and almost invisibly rebacked, with original spine laid down. Covers with double blind fillet border, spine in six compartments with five raised bands, ruled in blind and dated in gilt at foot, and with brown morocco gilt lettering label. Title lightly soiled with upper blank margin renewed, lower corner of first two leaves strengthened, a few tiny holes or paper flaws. Occasional foxing or faint dampstaining on a few leaves. Short (2 inch) repaired tear to lower margin of Mmm6, not affecting text. Bookplate with monogram of Dr. George Osborne Mitchell on front pastedown. Early ink signatures of Anne Abdy and Hercules Holiamb‚ (?) and some additional early ink annotations on title, early ink inscription at foot of G5 recto and Rrr3 verso, a few additional early ink annotations. An excellent copy. This copy, from the library of Dr. George Osborne Mitchell, who died more than twenty years ago, and which has been in another private collection since then, is the first copy to appear on the market since the Foyle copy in 2000. Two related series of woodcuts remained in use for illustrating Chaucer s Canterbury Tales throughout the period of their black-letter publication. The first was cut for William Caxton s second edition of the Tales, published in 1483, and this series was reused, more and less intact, in Wynkyn de Worde s 1498 Tales, the 1532 edition of Chaucer s complete works edited by William Thynne and printed by Thomas Godfray, and the 1542 reprint of the 1532 edition, produced by Richard Grafton. Individual woodcuts added to the Caxton series after its initial appearance recurred in the Printers edition of c. 1550, the Stow edition of 1561, and the Speght editions of 1598 and 1602. The second series was cut for Richard Pynson s 1492 edition of the Tales and was reused in Pynson s 1526 edition of the same work, though for this second appearance of the series a number of the designs were copied on new blocks. In addition, the Pynson series reappeared in one of the two issues of the 1561 Stow edition, now as a combination of blocks from both 1492 and 1526 (David R. Carlson, The Woodcut Illustrations in Early Printed Editions of Chaucer s Canterbury Tales, in Chaucer Illustrated: Five Hundred Years of The Canterbury Tales in Pictures, edited by William Finley and Joseph Rosenblum, pp. 73-117; see also David R. Carlson, Woodcut Illustrations of the Canterbury Tales, 1483-1602, The Library, 6th Series, 19 (1997), pp. 25-67). Possibly because the blocks were so worn and archaic, the preliminary leaves were reprinted in the second issue without any illustrations. In that issue the title is not in a compartment but has a large woodcut of a Chaucer s arms dated 1560 (Pforzheimer). In the second issue the preliminaries occupy ten leaves instead of fourteen.Grolier, Langland to Wither, 42. Pforzheimer 176. STC 5075.

$US55000

Corrected Owner Sig Identification (AS):

Hercules Foljambe (1590-1650)
Hercules was a second son of Godfrey Foljambe, who was holding land in Derbyshire during the reign of Henry VIII. He raised a force to help the Duke of Cumberland in his attack on Puerto Rico in 1597. He was likewise in the Barbadoes and held the rank of Sergt. Major General. Hercules did not leave a will, but Baptismal records indicate that he had several children.

Codicological note mistranscribes Hercules Foljambe’s name and neglects two complete and one partial trials of Latin inscription in Foljambe’s hand:

“Gentlewomen ?age matters ?faudete remb.”

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CHAUCER, Geoffrey, Workes of Geffrey Chaucer, The 1561
Rare First Issue of the 1561 Chaucer,with Twenty-Two Woodcuts in The Prologues CHAUCER, Ge[o]ffrey. The workes of Geffrey Chaucer, newlie printed, with divers addicions, whiche were never in print before: With the siege and destruccion of the worthy Citee of Thebes, compiled by Jhon Lidgate, Monke of Berie. As in the table more plainly doeth appere. [London: Imprinted by Jhon Kyngston, for Jhon Wight], 1561.Fifth collected edition, first issue, with twenty-two woodcuts in The Prologues, taken from the blocks used by Pynson in his 1492 and 1526 editions of the Canterbury Tales. Edited by John Stowe. Folio (12 1/8 x 8 7/16 inches; 311 x 214 mm.). [14], ccclxxviii leaves (irregular foliation). Title within woodcut border, the top of which represents a king (probably Edward VI) in council, with Grafton s device supported by two cherubs below (McKerrow & Ferguson 67). Divisional titles to The Caunterburie tales and The Romaunt of the Rose each within a woodcut border showing the genealogy of the Houses of York and Lancaster down to Henry VIII (McKerrow & Ferguson 75), twenty-two woodcuts of the Pilgrims in The Prologues, and woodcut of a knight on a horse at the head of The knightes tale. Large and small historiated and decorative initials and other ornaments. Black letter. Fifty-six lines, double columns. Early twentieth-century antique-style dark brown calf, expertly and almost invisibly rebacked, with original spine laid down. Covers with double blind fillet border, spine in six compartments with five raised bands, ruled in blind and dated in gilt at foot, and with brown morocco gilt lettering label. Title lightly soiled with upper blank margin renewed, lower corner of first two leaves strengthened, a few tiny holes or paper flaws. Occasional foxing or faint dampstaining on a few leaves. Short (2 inch) repaired tear to lower margin of Mmm6, not affecting text. Bookplate with monogram of Dr. George Osborne Mitchell on front pastedown. Early ink signatures of Anne Abdy and Hercules Holiamb‚ (?) and some additional early ink annotations on title, early ink inscription at foot of G5 recto and Rrr3 verso, a few additional early ink annotations. An excellent copy. This copy, from the library of Dr. George Osborne Mitchell, who died more than twenty years ago, and which has been in another private collection since then, is the first copy to appear on the market since the Foyle copy in 2000. Two related series of woodcuts remained in use for illustrating Chaucer s Canterbury Tales throughout the period of their black-letter publication. The first was cut for William Caxton s second edition of the Tales, published in 1483, and this series was reused, more and less intact, in Wynkyn de Worde s 1498 Tales, the 1532 edition of Chaucer s complete works edited by William Thynne and printed by Thomas Godfray, and the 1542 reprint of the 1532 edition, produced by Richard Grafton. Individual woodcuts added to the Caxton series after its initial appearance recurred in the Printers edition of c. 1550, the Stow edition of 1561, and the Speght editions of 1598 and 1602. The second series was cut for Richard Pynson s 1492 edition of the Tales and was reused in Pynson s 1526 edition of the same work, though for this second appearance of the series a number of the designs were copied on new blocks. In addition, the Pynson series reappeared in one of the two issues of the 1561 Stow edition, now as a combination of blocks from both 1492 and 1526 (David R. Carlson, The Woodcut Illustrations in Early Printed Editions of Chaucer s Canterbury Tales, in Chaucer Illustrated: Five Hundred Years of The Canterbury Tales in Pictures, edited by William Finley and Joseph Rosenblum, pp. 73-117; see also David R. Carlson, Woodcut Illustrations of the Canterbury Tales, 1483-1602, The Library, 6th Series, 19 (1997), pp. 25-67). Possibly because the blocks were so worn and archaic, the preliminary leaves were reprinted in the second issue without any illustrations. In that issue the title is not in a compartment but has a large woodcut of a Chaucer s arms dated 1560 (Pforzheimer). In the second issue the preliminaries occupy ten leaves instead of fourteen.Grolier, Langland to Wither, 42. Pforzheimer 176. STC 5075.

$US 55000.00.