Beschreibung:

HOLINSHED, Raphael (d. ca. 1580). The Firste [ -Laste ] volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande . London: [Henry Bynneman] for John Hunne [Vol. I, Parts I and III]; George Bishop [Vol. I, Part II]; John Harrison [Vol. II], 1577. 4 parts in two volumes, 2 o (279 x 192 mm). Black letter, double column. Four title-pages within woodcut borders (McKerrow and Ferguson 147a), woodcut printer's device (McKerrow 118), author's woodcut arms on versos of titles, 211 woodcuts in 1,026 occurences, double-page woodcut of the Siege of Edinburgh bound in after Yyyy6 in vol. II (margins renewed and with outer image supplied in facsimile), historiated initials. With blank leaf *b*6 and all errata leaves. Printed slip with the name "Richard Grafton" pasted on the verso of the list of "Authour's names" in vol. I [6v]. Vol. I E6-8 and F7 cancelled (in The Historie of Irelande ). (Signature () bound in vol. II, not in volume I, as in Pforzheimer, first leaf of errata and last leaf of index in facsimile, approximately 30 leaves apparently supplied, another 20 or so leaves with small marginal repairs, some with shoulder notes in facsimile, some cropping of shoulder notes, rust-holes causing occasional loss to a few letters, a few skilfully repaired tears.) Modern red morocco gilt, edges gilt, by Riviere. Provenance : purchased from Maggs Bros., London, 25 May 1972. FIRST EDITION, commonly known as the "Shakespeare edition" until W.G. Boswell-Stone and H.R.D. Anders established that it was, in fact, the second edition (see lot 64) which Shakespeare employed as the source for ten of his plays. The Chronicles for each of the countries are divided into two sections: "Description" and "History." Holinshed himself wrote the "Historie of England." The "Description of England" is by William Harrison, rector of Radwinter and canon of Windsor. "The History and Description of Scotlande" and the "History of Irelande" are by Richard Staynehurst and Edward Campion. The work originated with Reginald Wolfe who devoted 25 years to the compilation of the English, Scottish and Irish portions, leaving it unfinished at his death in 1573. Holinshed, who had assisted Wolfe for a number of years, then took over the project. He narrowed his scope to the British Isles and abandoned the plan to publish maps, by then rendered unnecesssary by the preparation of Saxton's atlas. According to Luborksy and Ingram, "the Histories, where all the woodcuts appear, represent (together with the herbals and emblem books) the most copiously illustrated secular texts of the Tudor era ... both the narrative and descriptive cuts are printed to relate to the pertinent texts; the images of the rulers function as initials do, to signal a new topic and also, for those of the Tudor rulers in volume Two, as portraits." While some of the cuts are reuses, "most of the narrative and descriptive cuts are new and many artisans were engaged in their making." Henry Bynneman, Reginald Wolfe's apprentice and successor, printed the work. Copies bear various imprints with the names of Hunne, John Harrison Lucas Harrison or George Bishop, who were enlisted "to defray the charges for the impression." Bartlett 222; Grolier English 6; Luborsky and Ingram English Illustrated Books 1536-1603 I, pp. 452-68; Pforzheimer 494; STC 13568b. (2)